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Washington Rejects Report on Trump's Support For Haftar’s Offensive on Tripoli

© REUTERS / Esam Omran Al-FetoriMembers of Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar, get ready before heading out of Benghazi to reinforce the troops advancing to Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya. File photo
Members of Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar, get ready before heading out of Benghazi to reinforce the troops advancing to Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya. File photo - Sputnik International
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Earlier in April, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underscored that the US is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Libya and that it urges the Libyan National Army loyal to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to stop its offensive on Tripoli.

The US administration has rejected a Bloomberg report about President Donald Trump approving Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s drive to overthrow Libya’s internationally-recognised government led by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.

“The characterizations of conversations between the WH & Field Marshal Haftar are inaccurate. We encouraged Bloomberg not to run it with bad information”, Garrett Marquis, National Security Council spokesman and Special Assistant to the US president, wrote on his Twitter page.

READ MORE: EU Calls on Warring Parties in Libya to 'Dissociate Themselves' From Terrorists

The statement followed Bloomberg citing unnamed US sources on Wednesday as saying that in a 15 April phone call with Khaftar, Trump said that Washington supports an assault on the Libyan capital Tripoli to depose the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

“An earlier call from White House National Security Adviser John Bolton also left Haftar with the impression of a US green light for an offensive on Tripoli by his forces, known as the Libyan National Army”, the sources claimed.

Bloomberg noted in this vein that Washington’s encouragement for Haftar represents “a dramatic turn from the public position taken days earlier by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo” who said the US requires the Libyan National Army (LNA) loyal to Haftar to stop its offensive on Tripoli.

“We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital”, Pompeo underscored in a statement on 7 April.

READ MORE: Haftar's Army Downs Military Aircraft En Route From Misrata, Libya — Official

Local media outlets, meanwhile, have cited LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari as saying that Haftar had announced the start of the second stage of the offensive on Tripoli after the completion of the first phase.

Soldiers from the Libyan National Army get ready to enter Rafallah al-sahati Islamic Militia Brigades compound, one of the compound buildings can be seen behind the wall, in Benghazi, Libya, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. - Sputnik International
Armed Groups Attack Haftar-Controlled Air Base in Southern Libya - Reports
The development comes amid a political standoff in Libya that began to escalate on 4 April, when Haftar ordered his troops to advance on Tripoli in a bid to drive out what he described as terrorist forces from the city.

In response, armed forces loyal to the Tripoli-based GNA started a military operation against the LNA.

Libya descended into chaos in 2011, when long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed by rebels backed by NATO.

READ MORE: WHO Says Over 120 Killed in Libya Since Escalation of Violence Near Tripoli

The turmoil prompted competing militias, criminal gangs, and terrorist groups to establish control over wide swathes of the country. The largest militias formed two separate governments, the eastern Tobruk-based government, supported by Haftar and the LNA, and the western UN-backed GNA, based in Tripoli.

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