A fighter loyal to the Libyan internationally-recognised Government of National Accord fires a heavy machine gun during clashes against forces loyal to the Libyan National Army on May 25, 2019, in the airport road area, south of the Libyan capital Tripoli. (PHOTO / AFP)

BENGHAZI — Libyan National Army (LNA) forces have decided to retire 2-3km from all front lines in Tripoli from midday, their spokesman said early on Wednesday, after suffering sharp reverses in their campaign to capture the city.

“We decided to move our forces in all battlefronts in Tripoli a distance of 2-3 kilometres” to allow citizens to move more freely during the end of Ramadan and in the run-up to the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Ahmed al-Mismari said.

We decided to move our forces in all battlefronts in Tripoli a distance of 2-3 kilometres” to allow citizens to move more freely during the end of Ramadan and in the run-up to the Eid al-Fitr holiday

 Ahmed al-Mismari, Spokesman of the LNA 

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Mismari called on the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), whose forces the LNA is fighting, to do the same but did not say whether its own withdrawal was contingent on it doing so. The GNA has yet to comment.

In its biggest advance in a year, the GNA on Monday captured Watiya airbase, an important LNA stronghold and its only major airbase near to Tripoli, along with an abandoned Russian-made Pantsir air defence system.

On Tuesday, it took the towns of Badr and Tiji in western Libya as the LNA said it had moved out of some positions in Tripoli, where the front lines have been mostly static for nearly a year.

The eastern-based LNA is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia. The GNA is backed by Turkey.

Fighters loyal to the Government of National Accord hold a position on the frontline facing forces of the self-styled Libyan National Army, south of the capital Tripoli's suburb of Ain Zara, on April 28, 2019. (PHOTO / AP)

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