Forces of Libyan Military Chief Haftar Liberate East of Derna From Terrorists

BENGHAZI (Sputnik) - The forces of the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) commander, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, liberated eastern districts of the city of Derna from terrorists, a Libyan military source told Sputnik, adding that four Libyan army soldiers were killed in the clashes.

"Four Libyan army soldiers died in the clashes near terrorist positions in the eastern Libyan city of Derna," the source said, adding the the army had liberated two districts previously controlled by terrorists late on Monday.

On Monday, Haftar announced the start of a military operation to liberate Derna, which has been under siege by terrorists since the overthrow of the country’s longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011.

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Derna is located 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) east from the capital city of Tripoli and is controlled by terrorist groups linked to Al Qaeda*. Previously, the city was controlled by the Daesh*. This city is considered to be the last stronghold of Islamic militants in the east of the country, which is controlled by Haftar's forces.

Libya has been in turmoil since the 2011 civil war that resulted in Gaddafi being stripped of power. The eastern part of the crisis-torn state is governed by its parliament, with headquarters in the city of Tobruk. The parliament is backed by the LNA, which is engaged in a struggle against militants. At the same time, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS), Al Qaeda are terrorist groups banned in Russia