ANKARA

The Libyan Army has retaken two military camps from warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces south of the capital Tripoli, said an army spokesman on Saturday.

In a statement, Mohammed Kanunu said the army has taken the Hamza and Yarmuk Military Camps as part of its successful military operations against Haftar’s militia.

He said the army also continues its efforts to clear away mines and IEDs planted by Haftar’s forces.

This week the Libyan Army inflicted heavy blows on the Haftar side through a massive air campaign in which multiple Russian-made Pantsir air-defense systems were struck.

The army managed to secure control of Al-Watiya airbase, a strategically important military asset used by Haftar’s militia for years.

The Libyan government, also known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), has been under attack by warlord Haftar’s armed forces since April 2019.

Haftar’s illegal forces in eastern Libya have launched several attacks to capture Tripoli, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.

However, the Libyan government launched Operation Peace Storm on March 26 to counter these attacks.

Following the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led political deal.

* Writing by Fahri Aksut