Libyan government says ready to recapture capital
Libya’s internationally recognized government says its forces are getting ready to recapture the capital, Tripoli, from the militants and has urged a civil disobedience campaign in the city.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani’s government said its forces have been given orders to “advance toward Tripoli to liberate it and state institutions from the grip of armed groups.”
The statement also called on the capital's residents to launch a "civil disobedience campaign until the arrival of the army.”
On Saturday, Thani said the country’s military forces had united in order to retake Tripoli and the country's second largest city, Benghazi, from militiamen.
Following the seizure of the capital by Fajr (Dawn) Libya -- a coalition of several armed groups --in August, Thani, along with the new parliament, took refuge in the eastern town of al-Baida.
The new Tripoli rulers have set up their own government which the international community does not recognize.
Benghazi has also been a war zone since May, when former General Khalifa Haftar joined forces with the army and declared war on militia groups.
The government’s planned operation in Tripoli comes on the heels of fierce fighting south and west of the capital.
The village of Kikla, which is located some 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Tripoli, has witnessed over two weeks of raging battles.
Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The country has witnessed numerous clashes between government forces and rival militia groups that refuse to lay down their arms.