East Libyan Forces Advance in War on ISIS Terrorists in Benghazi

The battle for Benghazi between the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar and an array of Takfiri terrorists and other fighters has been part of a broader conflict since Libya slipped into turmoil following NATO's intervention during the uprising that led to the 2011 fall of strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Several terrorists and one soldier were killed on Thursday when special forces moved into the Khreibish district, one of the remaining pockets of resistance after Haftar declared victory in the battle for in Benghazi in July. Ten soldiers were wounded.

Haftar launched his “Operation Dignity” campaign in May 2014, slowly gaining the upper hand against Islamist militants and former rebels who fought Gaddafi in the 2011 uprising.

Haftar is aligned with a government and parliament in eastern Libya. He has rejected a UN-backed government based in the capital, Tripoli, as he has gradually strengthened his position on the ground.

The oil-rich North African state descended into a deadly civil war after US-led NATO military intervention followed the 2011 uprising that led to the toppling and killing of longtime dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya’s disintegration into a cluster of chaotic internal conflicts has also made the country’s vast Mediterranean coast a choice route used by human traffickers moving thousands of disparate African migrants to Europe.