Libya's Hifter launches operation to retake opposition stronghold
Libyan military strongman Khalifa Hifter announced the launch of the long-awaited military operation to take Derna, which is expected to boost his popularity in the country’s upcoming elections.
TRIPOLI, Libya — Khalifa Hifter, commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), announced May 8 the start of a military operation to take Derna in northeastern Benghazi. This military operation has long been expected, as coastal Derna is the last remaining major town in eastern Libya that has not fallen to Hifter’s forces, which are backed by the country’s Tobruk-based parliament. Libya has two competing governments: one in Tripoli supported by the United Nations and another in Tobruk that lacks international support.
The military operation is seemingly planned to coincide with the anniversary of the Karama Operation (Operation Dignity). Hifter, supported by few military officers, launched the Karama Operation four years ago to “liberate Libya” from terror organizations such as the Shura Council, Ansar al-Sharia and even the Islamic State (IS), which took over much of eastern Libya, including Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city, and the capital of its eastern region.
In a speech at the start of a military parade in Benghazi, Hifter said, “Zero hour for the liberation of Derna has struck. Our army forces are now targeting their [opponents’] hideouts.” In an apparent attempt to reassure the people that his forces are trying hard to avoid civilian casualties, he added, “We have given instructions to avoid civilian [casualties].”
The LNA is accused of committing indiscriminate slaughter against the civilian population in Derna and in Benghazi before it. One of Hifter’s vocal critics has been Libya’s dismissed mufti, Sadiq al-Ghariani, who called on people to fight against the LNA. Ghariani has long accused Hifter and his supporters of being “counter-revolutionaries” rather than legitimate armed forces supported by the country’s elected parliament.
