A Libyan military spokesperson says troops have routed Islamic militants from a key area they controlled in the eastern city of Benghazi.
The official speaks for the armed forces that answer to the internationally recognized parliament based in eastern Libya.
Ali al-Mosmari says troops swept into the militants’ stronghold in the city’s western district of Ganfouda on Wednesday, after months of laying a tight siege on the area.
Al-Mosmari posted on Twitter: “We just freed Ganfouda.”
He says dozens of civilians trapped by the fighting were liberated.
The two-year campaign to push militants out of Benghazi is led by Khalifa Hifter, who is not recognized by Libya’s UN-backed government in the capital, Tripoli.
The battles have left Benghazi – Libya’s second-largest city – in ruins but Hifter’s popularity has surged.
