Libya: Tripoli Government Declares Military Alert

By Staff- Agencies

Libya's recognized government in Tripoli has declared a military alert after eastern forces loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar said they had moved towards the western part of the country.

"We have issued instructions and declared a general alert to all military and security forces from military and army belonging to us to be prepared," the Tripoli-based government said in a statement. 

It followed a statement by the eastern forces’ media center which said the operation, ordered by Haftar on Wednesday, was aimed at "cleansing the western zone from terrorist groups".

"The military unit confirm its keenness to protect citizens' safety and public properties of the Libyan state," the statement said without elaborating.

In recent years, Haftar, the chief of the self-styled Libyan National Army [LNA], has expanded his foothold in large parts of Libya.

A video released by the LNA media office showed a convoy of armored vehicles and pick-up trucks mounted with heavy guns on the road.

"In fulfilment of his [Haftar's] orders, several military units moved to the western region to purge the remaining terrorist groups located in their last hideouts," the LNA said.

Its statement gave no details, but the area appears to be the coastal road linking the eastern city of Benghazi, the LNA's main base, with Tripoli in western Libya.