CAIRO -- Forces of Libya's U.N.-backed government seized control of the last remaining western stronghold of militia commander Khalifa Hifter on Friday, dealing a major setback to his ambitions to wrest control of the country.
Pro-government fighters backed by Turkey reached the center of Tarhuna, roughly 40 miles southeast of the capital, Tripoli, on Friday morning after Hifter's forces retreated, according to military commanders and security analysts. Videos posted on social media showed pickups mounted with machine guns rolling into enclaves and fighters flashing victory signs.
Mohammed Gnounou, a military spokesman for the Tripoli government, said in a statement that its fighters entered the city from four directions and gave Hifter's forces a "lesson they will not forget." Hifter's military office did not respond to a request for comment.
By the afternoon, pro-government forces were reported to be pushing eastward to other Hifter-controlled areas.
The swift capture of Tarhuna occurred a day after the forces of the 76-year-old strongman retreated from their last positions in Tripoli. Hifter, based in eastern Libya, opened an offensive on the capital 15 months ago in an attempt to oust the government and install himself as Libya's ruler.
Hifter's defeat in western Libya leaves his future uncertain but appear unlikely to end the violent contest over lucrative oil and gas resources, territory, ideology and geographical dominance. Hifter still controls Libya's east and south, as well as many of the oil fields.
"The fall of Tarhuna spells the end of Hifter's offensive on Tripoli," said Wolfram Lacher, a Libya expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "He now no longer has a realistic chance to seize power."
"This will have major ripple effects on his alliance, which was based on the idea that he would sweep to power," Lacher added. "Now that his forces have been routed, many in his alliance will reconsider their loyalties."
A year ago, few observers would have predicted such a stunning military reversal.
Hifter, a dual U.S.-Libyan citizen and former CIA asset who lived for years in northern Virginia, received heavy weaponry and other military support from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other regional powers in violation of a U.N. arms embargo.
Russia printed billions in Libyan dinars to finance his war, pay his fighters' salaries and bribe tribes to support him, according to diplomats and analysts. France and other European powers elevated his stature diplomatically and politically inside and outside Libya.
Hifter's Libyan National Army, the name he gave to his militias, swept swiftly from the east, seizing the south before besieging Tripoli in early April of last year. He vowed to overrun the capital, but his forces quickly became bogged down in a stalemate as militias loyal to the Tripoli government rose up to fight.
Longtime Libya watchers sense a pivotal moment with Hifter's loss of Tarhuna.
"Hifter's game is over, " tweeted Peter Millett, former British ambassador to Libya. "Next steps by the main Libyan actors will be vital. There will be many voices arguing for more fighting & rejecting reconciliation. Important to bring all Libyans together behind a comprehensive plan."
A Section on 06/06/2020