The elders and dignitaries of Zintan, 136 kilometers southwest of Tripoli, reiterated their full support for the parliament and the Interim Government, rejecting “illegitimate entities” and their affiliated armed groups.
In a Friday statement, the Zintanis denounced the alleged foreign support for Islamist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State, and al-Qaeda.
The Zintan Council reiterated its position against armed groups in Libya, describing them as the result of Operation Libya Dawn, which destroyed the Tripoli International Airport. Libya Dawn was a coalition of Islamist groups that reached its peak of influence in 2014, but dwindled soon afterwords and no longer exists.
The rival of the Interim Government is the UN-recognized Government of National Accord, which is based in Tripoli and controversially uses militias to maintain order and counter the LNA.
The council issued an earlier statement on April 4, welcoming the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) operation to “liberate Tripoli from militias.” Both the Libyan parliament and the Interim Government are based in the east, where the LNA has full control.
The LNA has been launching attacks on Tripoli since April in an attempt to seize the capital and ultimate power by military operations.
Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured or displaced from their houses since the fighting began in Tripoli.
The small mountain town of Zintan enjoyed outsized influence in western Libya from 2011 until summer 2014 when its militias were driven from Tripoli by Libya Dawn.
As a result, Zintani forces lost control of key strategic sites, including Tripoli International Airport which was destroyed in the fighting.
Some later joined the so-called Tribal Army, comprising fighters from the Warshefana region on Tripoli’s hinterland and other tribal elements from western Libya, to confront Libya Dawn-allied factions. Fighting later subsided due to local ceasefires.
A number of Zintani forces have distanced themselves from the LNA – particularly those close to former Defense Minister Osama Jweili of the GNA – while others remain supportive.
Zintan played an important role in the fall of Qaddafi-controlled Tripoli in 2011.
