Self-Styled Libyan National Army seizes most of Derna
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The self-styled Libyan National Army says its forces have seized most of the western coastal city of Derna from extremist groups who have controlled it for years.
Spokesperson Ahmed al-Mesmari told The Associated Press that LNA forces have captured “more than 75% of Derna and forced out terrorists from most of the city.”
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar who leads the LNA, announced in May that his forces launched a military operation aimed at “liberating” Derna from extremist groups. Hifter’s forces have surrounded the city of 150 000 people for years.
Hifter is allied with the east-based administration that is at odds with the UN-backed government based in the capital, Tripoli.
The chief of Derna security, Yahya Al-Osta Omar, said that Al-Hareesh Hospital has closed its doors completely and stopped receiving the patients due to the indiscriminate missiles falling in the hospital and its vicinity, noting that one of the elderly patients died as a result of this.
In a statement, Al-Osta Omar clarified that a mortar shell fell on the building of the hospital and caused material damage to the radiology department, which forced the medical staff to leave immediately.
Derna has witnessed violent clashes in the recent days after Dignity Operation forces managed to take over a number of neighbourhoods under the cover of aerial bombardment and heavy artillery.
