The Presidency Council’s Fortified Structure Forces (FSF) in Sirte is ready to fight any entity exploiting the name of the “Libyan army” to make political gains, spokesperson for the FSF Mohamed al-Ghasari said Thursday.
Ghasari added that the FSF will not join the LNA, which is “unrecognized by the civil authority,” emphasizing that state of emergency has been declared in the coastal city to fight any attempt to seize it.
Located half-way along Libya’s long coastal road between the capital of Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi, Sirte was finally announced freed from ISIS by head of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) Faiez Sarraj on 17 December 2016.
There have been worries lately about the possibility that the LNA may march to the Tripoli, a move that may spark a “civil war” between the Tripoli-based GNA and the eastern-based army.
These concerns have been raised when the LNA advanced to Bawabat Bohadi region, situated south of Sirte, late Sunday and expelled armed groups therefrom.
The gunmen, who once took Bawabat Bohadi as their foothold, reportedly withdrew from the region without any clashes.
