A fighter from Misrata shouts to his comrades as they move to fight Islamic State militants near Sirte March 15, 2015. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic (LIBYA – Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS)
Misrata’s militias are withdrawing from the outskirt of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, fearing an upcoming attack by the Libyan National Army (LNA), the LNA’s media center claimed in a short press release on July 17.
“Misrata’s militias withdrew their weapons, which were stored in the Suwani secondary school, to al-Karimia, a number of their armed gangs also left the axis towards Misrata road after receiving reports of a near sweeping attack by the LNA,” the press release reads.
Misrata’s military council and its allies in the Government of National Accord (GNA) have not confirmed or denied the LNA’s claims, so far.
Last week, the LNA revealed that it is preparing a new large-scale attack. The army had deployed large reinforcements south of Tripoli.
If confirmed, the withdrawal of Misrata’s well-armed, highly-experienced militias will be a blow to the GNA. However, the LNA may still face fierce resistance from Tripoli’s militias, which are determined to hold onto their positions around the capital.
The absurdly low casualty count makes me wonder just how much actual fighting is going on in this war.
let’s hope LNA can actually liberate Tripoli in the next 1-2 years