By Maha Sulaiman.
Benghazi, 7 April 2016:
The Libya National Army (LNA) claims that its forces have now taken control of all of . . .[restrict]Jufra district south of Sirte. A leading LNA commander told the Libya Herald this evening that this included the Jufra airbase between Hun and Waddan and that the oilfields in the area had been secured. He added that militias in the region had been pushed out – seen as a reference to Misratan units that had come up from the south for the separate Misrata-led offensive against Sirte.
The advance follows an agreement between Saiqa commander Wanis Bukhamada and Ibrahim Jadhran on Thursday under which Jadhran agreed to support the LNA’s offensive to destroy the so-called Islamic State and liberate Sirte.
At the time, LNA forces were already in the north east of Jufra, in Zillah and Marada.
Earlier this year, IS forces were said to be roaming freely throughout Jufra, which acts as their transit route between Sirte and the south of Libya and beyond. If today’s claim is correct, it means that IS is now firmly hemmed in and on the defensive. [/restrict]
