Militants’ Defense In Derna Is Slowly Collapsing Under Pressure From LNA (Maps)

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Forces of the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna (SCMD) in Derna are slowly withdrawing under pressure from the Libyan National Army (LNA).

Units of the LNA have failed to overrun the SCMD’s defense in the central part of the city but they have been able to achieve a notable progress in the eastern and western parts of Derna.

Footage of LNA forces coming into W.Shiha area in SW #Derna.

Local women traditionally ululate welcoming the #LNA military pic.twitter.com/He93mTEwxO

— SMM Libya (@smmlibya) 4 June 2018

The LNA’s artillery and aircraft carried out multiple strikes on militant targets in the districts of Khadija, Lamis, Saiha and Bab Tobruk. Then, LNA fighters entered the aforementioned districts. At the same time, clashes are ongoing in the district of Shiha in the central part of Derna. However, the situation in the area remains unclear.

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Click to see the full-size image

It’s interesting to note that the SCMD uses the same approach that the mainstream media (MSM) and the so-called “international community” had used in Syria.

In the Syrian conflict, almost all reports in the MSM described Jabhat al-Nusra (the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and its allies as the “moderate opposition”, the “opposition” or just “rebels”.

In case of the battle of Derna, the SCMD rebranded itself into the “Derna Protection Force” in order to hide its links to al-Qaeda and ISIS.

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