Libyan Forces Take Region in Benghazi from Jihadists

Libyan forces who have pledged their loyalty to Marshal Khalifa Haftar – the principal commander of the side loyal to the Libyan parliament – have announced that they have managed to re-capture a district from jihadists in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

The ongoing civil war in Libya has been raging since 2014 between the democratically elected parliament (the Council of Deputies) and the rival endorsed government known as the General National Congress.

Various jihadist groups have also entered the war and have captured several regions in the country, including districts in and around the city of Benghazi. Some of the jihadist groups that have claimed territory in Benghazi are the Al-Qaeda affiliated group, Ansar Al-Sharia.

However, the forces loyal to Marshal Khalifa Haftar said that they have now taken a district in the southwest of the city and are currently circling another.

“…We now control the district of Abu Sneib…[sic]. Our forces now completely surround the Qanfuda area nearby,” said one of the commanding officers.

Haftar and his forces have been able to re-capture some districts in and around Benghazi since 2014, but are still fighting to regain full power of the city.

The commanding officer also confirmed that more than 50 troops from the Council of Deputies forces have died in battle since January 1st.

With no clear leader or government in power in the country, Libya has been in complete disarray since the start of the civil war, and efforts by the United Nations to build a unity government have failed several times.