The General Command of the Libyan National Army (LNA) instructed its troops not to use excessive force in the fighting around Tripoli, spokesperson Ahmed al-Mismari said late Monday.
In a Benghazi press conference, Mismari said the LNA will use armored vehicles to break into the city and will focus on the military positions of armed groups allied with the Government of National Accord (GNA).
“Military units from the western region have joined the LNA, and the army will rely mainly on infantry instead of heavy weapons due to the bad weather and the population density in the capital that have prevented the army from making new advances,” he stated.
The Tripoli offensive led by the LNA aims to clear terrorists out of Libya, and the offensive will not stop until victory, he said, calling on all Libyans not to protect any terrorist or provide a safe place for them.
A total of 213 people have been killed and 1,009 others wounded in the fighting between the UN-backed Libyan government and the east-based army in and around the capital Tripoli so far, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.
The LNA, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, launched the military campaign in mid-April to take over Tripoli, where the UN-backed government is based.
Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid lack of security and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Qaddafi’s regime in 2011.
