Islam Times - Libya’s Haftar vows to liberate major cities including Tripoli

Islam Times - Libya’s retired General Khalifa Haftar has pledged to retake the eastern city of Benghazi and the capital city of Tripoli in two weeks and three months respectively.

The battle has just begun for Tripoli, which is currently in the hands of an alliance of Libyan militias, known as Fajr Libya, Haftar said an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Friday.

“For Tripoli we are only at the beginning,” he said, adding, “We need more men and more supplies and weaponry.”

Emphasizing that Benghazi is the priority of the ongoing fight against rival militia groups, the renegade general further noted that his men, who now control 80 percent of the city, need more work to defeat Ansar al-Sharia’s “battle-hardened” militants.

Haftar also asked the West to provide arms and other military assistance to his forces, saying, "We need more men and more supplies and weaponry."

Forces loyal to Haftar and Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani are fighting for control of Benghazi and have launched an offensive against militant positions west of Tripoli.

The Libyan government and elected parliament moved to the eastern city of Tobruk after an armed group from the town of Misrata seized the capital and most state institutions in August.

Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The ouster of Gaddafi gave rise to a patchwork of heavily-armed militias and deep political divisions.