On Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari, announced that the LNA will not back down in the war waged against terrorism.
In a press conference, Al-Mismari clarified that all military operations have been suspended for months, as called for in Egypt’s Cairo Declaration. He stressed that the LNA forces remained on high alert, to repel any attack against its positions in the vicinity of Sirte and Al-Jufra.
The LNA spokesperson added that a number of Somali and Syrian mercenaries were being transferred to Al-Hisha and Qadahiyah districts. This is part of the continuous Turkish support for the extremist militias in Tripoli.
Last week, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claimed that Turkey had transferred about 350 Syrian child soldiers to Libya, to fight alongside the Government of National Accord (GNA), against the LNA. The SOHR’s Director, Rami Abdel-Rahman, said that at least 34 of those minors were killed during battles in Libya. He added that their bodies, in addition to those of 500 other Syrian fighters, were returned to Syria via Turkey. Abdel-Rahman alleged that Turkey has transferred about 19,000 mercenaries to Libya, of which about 10,000 are extremists of varying nationalities.
Notably, Libya’s two rival governments announced an immediate ceasefire, across the country on the 21st August. This comes after nine years of conflict in the country. The current dispute pits the GNA in Tripoli, against its eastern-based rivals, the LNA.