In a brief statement on Saturday, Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar said he would continue fighting against the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and Turkey.
Addressing LNA forces on Saturday, Haftar said “As we have fought wars against terrorism, we will fight until the colonizer is defeated”.
Coinciding with this latest statement was the LNA’s declaration that it was strengthening its forces in Tripoli.
The LNA media office broadcasted images of the 128th infantry unit mobilizing from the eastern city of Benghazi. The unit had arrived at the Tripoli frontlines to boost forces already deployed there.
“We have marched 1,000 kilometers to achieve victory. We do not know the meaning of retreat,” said Haftar.
The LNA operation to capture Tripoli from the GNA has come under increasing regional and international pressure.
On Sunday, Haftar congratulated his forces on the advent of Eid Al-Fitr and said that the “jihad of the armed forces to restore the nation’s security and stability will continue.”
Turkey’s military intervention in the Libya has tipped the scales of the conflict in favor of the GNA, which in recent days had claimed successive victories in western Libya.