Fayez Al-Sarraj confirms recapture of cities Sabratha and Sorman, will to defeat "aggression"
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the presidential council of the Libyan government of national accord (GNA), Fayez Al-Sarraj, here Monday confirmed the recapture of the cities of Sabratha and Sorman in western Libya.
He also expressed the will of the government and the loyalist army to defeat "the aggression" by Marshall Khalifa Haftar and countries backing them.
In a communiqué issued here, Al-Sarraj said an attempt to disrupt the operation “Storm of peace” with an attack Sunday on the region of Abou Grein, eastern Misrata, failed.
In late March, the GNA launched operation "Storm of peace" in response to the "ongoing violations of the truce" and to target the sources of the shell, missiles and rockets fires which led to several civilian victims, including children and women, in Tripoli residential districts.
Al-Sarraj underlined that the forces of the government of national accord were confronted by "legions nourished by capitals who show us loyalty during daylight and conspire against us unanimously in obscurity".
He told those he described as ’conspiracy capitals’: "Your sons you send to die in the aggression on our soil will be sent back to you on coffins with their ID cards and we’ll order our foreign affairs ministry to coordinate the affair with the competent authorities".
Photos taken on Sunday on the theater of fighting in Abou Ghrein showed dead bodies of combatants next to Haftar’s forces, as well the berets belonging to the Sudanese forces in addition to ID cards and passports found on them.
"Your armoured vehicles you sent have become fire, and what remains of them is taken and we’ll keep it at the War Museum…Your ammunition which killed our children and your fighter jets that destroyed our cities, and your arrogance will be held as responsible by your people before us," said the communiqué issued by the press office of the presidential council.
In the communiqué, Al-Sarraj said the forces of the GNA "will continue their way to the captured cities… We’ll extend the sovereignty of our government all over its soil, sea and sky".
The cities of Sabratha and Sorman (respectively at 80 and 70 km west of Tripoli) in the hands of pro-Haftar’s forces were recaptured on Monday by the forces of the Libyan army loyal to the GNA, governmental military sources said.
Fierce fighting broke out Sunday in the region of Abu Grein (southeast of Misrata) during which a jet belonging to Haftar’s army was shot down and its crew of three killed.
-0- PANA BY/IS/MSA/RA 13Apr2020
