Forces of Libya war chief gain foothold in Derna

Haftar’s military forces claim that a road into Derna to the city’s east has been secured by their troops

The forces of Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar entered Derna from its eastern border as they continue an operation to wrest the city from extremists.

The forces of Field Marshal Haftar, who call themselves the Libyan National Army, launched an operation on May 7 to liberate the eastern coastal city that once had a large presence of ISIS fighters and has been known as a bastion for Al Qaeda.

The military force posted on Facebook that it had entered the district of Eastern Coast and secured a road into the city there.

The city has a population of about 150,000, dozens of whom travelled to Iraq after the US invasion in 2003 to fight on the side of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor of ISIS.

It now hosts fighters allied to the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council, also known as the Derna Protection Forces. The LNA said the city is also used as a base by foreign fighters with ties to Al Qaeda.

The LNA said more than 100 DMSC fighters were killed in the operation, while the LNA lost 20 of its troops. It has been conducting air strikes on the city, the only one that lies outside its control in eastern Libya.

The UN Support Mission in Libya called on all sides to “exercise maximum restraint” in the fighting. Its migration agency said that at least 425 families had been displaced in two weeks of fighting as of May 31.

Field Marshal Haftar has positioned himself as the man to lead the country’s armed forces and even the country. But Libya remains fractured and has various players seeking a stake in its future.

The UN and France have both sought a framework in which the country’s different parties can work towards democratic elections.

Meanwhile, a new accord has been struck for thousands of displaced Libyans to return home to a town that sided with Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.

Fayez Al Sarraj, head of the Government of National Accord, welcomed the reconciliation deal signed on Sunday by representatives of the pro-Qaddafi town of Tawergha and nearby Misrata, 240 kilometres south-east of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

The 35,000 residents of Tawergha, a town which sided with Qaddafi right up until he was deposed and murdered, were evicted and have since lived in camps.