CAIRO, June 8, 2018 (News Wires) - The self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) has seized most of the western coastal city of Derna from extremist groups, which have controlled it for years, a military spokesman said on Friday. Spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari said that the LNA forces have captured "more than 75 per cent of Derna and forced out terrorists from most of the city". Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who leads the LNA, announced in May that his forces launched a military operation aimed at "liberating" Derna from extremist groups. Hifter's forces have surrounded the city of 150,000 people for years. The LNA has long encircled the city of 125,000, the last in eastern Libya to elude its control. It is held by the Derna Protection Forces, formerly the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council, a coalition of Islamists and other anti-Haftar combatants. Early Monday, LNA forces entered Derna from both the eastern and western coastal roads and took control of the Shiha and Bab Tobruk districts, advancing to within one kilometer of the port, one of the operation's commanders, Salem al-Rafadi, told Reuters. Photos shared by a resident appeared to show soldiers and military vehicles advancing along largely deserted streets. Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The country is now split between rival governments in the east and west, each backed by an array of militias. Haftar is allied with the eastern-based administration that is at odds with the UN-backed government based in the capital, Tripoli.
