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Libyan army troops on Wednesday pushed into Benghazi, the first time in two months that government forces had entered the eastern city, which has been under control of Islamist militias.
The advance was a significant boost to the troops, though fighting was still raging in Benghazi and the army had a long battle ahead, said Meloud al-Zewi, spokesman for Libya’s special forces.
Almost 40 jihadists killed in air strikes by libyan aviation in the last 24 hours in Benghazi.
The Nigerian military and extremist sect, Boko Haram, have reached an immediate ceasefire, the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, said Friday.
There were reports the two sides were having talks over the release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by the group April 14.
Islamist militias held their ground on Thursday in the face of an assault by an ex-general backed by army units aimed at retaking Libya’s second city of Benghazi, military sources said.
Medics, revising an earlier toll, said at least 25 people had been killed in 24 hours of fighting since early Wednesday, when Khalifa Haftar’s forces launched what he called an operation to “liberate” Benghazi.
In Benghazi, on Wednesday, militant forces led by the retired general Khalifa Haftar have been attacking with tanks and jets the “February 17 Martyrs Brigade,” a rival to Haftar. A counter-offensive was launched by the February 17 Martyrs Brigade. More than 22 people have been killed in Benghazi in the past two days.
In a broadcast statement on Tuesday, Haftar said that he would liberate Benghazi from “terrorists.” In May, he launched an assault against other militias in Benghazi, but his forces were kicked out of the city two months later.
Sources of a hospital in Libya have told reporters on Sunday that at least 21 people have been killed, and that more than 60 other people have been wounded during tribal clashes that had taken place towards the west of Libya’s capital city of Tripoli over the weekend.
A detachment of the Popular National Army’s forces succeeded Saturday to eliminate five terrorists, in the province of Bouira and recover three guns and ammunitions, said a communiqué of the National Defence Ministry (MDN).