Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari has stressed that his forces are committed to expelling the 'mercenaries’ from Tripoli.
He said the battle has not been settled yet because of LNA's keenness to keep civilians and properties safe, adding that more than two million citizens in the capital are taken as human shields by militias and terrorists.
In a press conference in Cairo, Mismari stressed that the LNA took control over more than 90 percent of Tripoli. However, he said he doesn't know where or when the current battle would end since it's against terrorism and wherever there is terrorism thousands of LNA forces will be present.
The spokesman said the army was never reluctant to engage in efforts to reach a political solution, but the other side was always failing these quests.
Mismari announced, for the first time, that the army victims exceeded 7,000, in addition to thousands of wounded. However, the army insists on expelling the mercenaries and the Turkish forces, he asserted.
He also said that the military operation to be launched by European countries in the Middle East aims to protect the European shores first and not the Libyan territories.
European countries are now aware that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is blackmailing them through sending those displaced from Syria, and he might blackmail them by sending terrorists to Libya in the future.
He described Erdogan as the actual "emir" of the Muslim Brotherhood and all terrorist groups, accusing him along with GNA leaders of exacerbating the Libyan wealth. The Turkish President has so far brought to Libya 7,500 Syrian mercenaries, in addition to 1,000 officers, and the numbers are still increasing, he added.
LNA is respecting the truce although up to 50 violations are recorded each day,
Mismari denied rumors claiming that LNA commander Khalifa Haftar visited Syria along with a military delegation, but he hinted that there might be a future intelligence cooperation with Syria.
On Sunday, the LNA announced that it shot down a Turkish drone – in this regard, a prominent officer told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Turkish drones have become an easy target to the air defense. He added that the Turks equipped pro-Sarraj militias with cannon ammunition to help them make influence in regions liberated by the army.
