The Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, officially announced its rejection of the U.S. proposal, which is supported by Western parties and the U.N. mission in Libya, to turn the strategic city of Sirte into a “demilitarized” zone.
The LNA stressed that its forces “will not retreat an inch from Sirte and its surroundings, will continue preparations and will not hand it over to invaders and quasi-invaders. ”
In new and reciprocal threat of war, the Chamber of Security and Protection of Sirte and Al-Jufra, affiliated to the Government of National Accord, headed by Feyez Al-Sarraj, announced Thursday that its field commanders visited the sites of their forces on the outskirts of the city of Sirte, while Haftar placed the sheikhs, elders and wise men of the city of Al-Jufrah at its headquarters in Al-Rajma in the east of the country.
Sirte's security room said that its commander, Brigadier General Ibrahim Bait Al-Mal, and Colonel Ahmed Hashem, the commander of its field operations, had toured the axes west of Sirte to determine the positions of its forces and their front lines, and they also visited the field hospital in Al-Washeka.
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Libyan National Army Forces- File Photo[/caption]
On her part, Stephanie Williams, the interim head of the United Nations mission, said that she discussed Thursday in Geneva with the President of the Supreme Council of State Khaled Al-Meshri, the current situation and the tracks emanating from the Berlin conference, noting in a brief statement that the political track was tackled too.
Meanwhile, armed militias affiliated with the GNA force accused its Interior Minister Fathi Pashagha of stirring up strife in the western region, and the "Abu Soura Martyrs" Brigade and the "Zawiya Brigade" and called Al-Sarraj to intervene and put an end to Bashagha after the Zawiya Security Directorate announced the suspension of work in it in protest against his suspension of its director Ali Al-Lafi for work.
On his part, Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari, a spokesman for the National Army, said in a press conference on Wednesday, that “the proposal of Richard Norland, the American ambassador to Libya, and other voices speaking on behalf of the Libyans to support a kind of disarmed solution around Sirte, does not apply in Sirte, which is considered one of the safe Libyan cities. It applies to what is happening in the capital, Tripoli.
He wondered about the purpose behind turning Sirte into a demilitarized zone. He considered that the goal is to "hand over the city without a fight to the Turkish invasion," warning that "the Turks will not stop there, but Zweitina, Brega and Harika will fall after Sirte if we respond to this proposal."
Moreover, he considered that demilitarized zones must be established in cities that are under the control of militias and extremist organizations, and that are witnessing displacement of the people of those cities, pointing out that the areas that should be demilitarized are Tripoli and not Sirte and Jufrah, because of the militias' control over them.
Mismari stressed that the army was ready for any battle to save Libya from terrorism and the Turkish invasion, referring to the mobilization of the GNA forces in the regions of Buqrin and Zamzam. After announcing the good availability of all weapons for the army, and the radar air cover on the entire Libyan soil.
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