Libyan Army pauses operations as Wagner mercenaries airlifted

The Libyan Army paused operations in Tarhouna, Bani Waleed and Nasma regions for 48 hours as the forces loyal to putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar withdraw from the areas, a statement by the press office of Operation Volcano of Rage said Monday.

The military will continue to carry out aerial surveillance in the area, the statement said, adding that any forces heading toward the north will be targeted, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) condemned Haftar militias for laying improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as they are withdrawing.

"UNSMIL is extremely concerned about reports that residents of the Ain Zara and Salahuddin areas of Tripoli have been killed or wounded by Improvised Explosive Devices placed in/near their homes," a statement by the UNSMIL said, adding that the civilians were deliberately targeted as they are celebrating the Eid holiday.

The mission also lauded the work of Libyan Police and Military Engineers who have received training from the U.N. and are striving to clear IEDs from the areas.

Meanwhile, the members of the Tobruk-based pro-Haftar assembly on Monday rejected an attempted coup by the warlord.

This came in a statement issued by 11 prominent members of the Tobruk-based assembly in which they stressed support to a peace initiative proposed by its speaker Aguila Saleh.

Notably, the assembly currently holds its sessions with only some one-fifth of its 200 members.

With the continuous defeats of Haftar in the battlefield against Libyan government forces, Saleh announced late April a proposal to reach a political solution to the crisis.

Immediately after the proposal, Haftar declared himself the sole ruler of Libya, dropping the U.N.-brokered Skhirat agreement signed in 2015 between Libyan warring sides, the move which was condemned by international actors and regional allies.

Haftar, however, was unable to overthrow the Tobruk-based House of Representatives and its speaker Saleh -- who was seen as a subordinate of Haftar -- as he enjoys major tribal support in East Libya.

Military aircraft fly Wagner Group mercenaries out of Libya

At least eight military transport planes arrived in East Libya to airlift mercenaries of the Russian Wagner Group out of the country.

The government-led Burkan Al-Ghadab, or Volcano of Rage, Operation, tweeted on Monday that an Antonov An-32 military cargo plane landed at Bani Walid Airport to "resume the transportation of the Wagner mercenaries."

On Sunday, Salem Alaywan, Mayor of the town Bani Walid said that the Wagner Group, which supported Haftar, left the country.

Burkan Al-Ghadab went on to say that it had on Sunday spotted seven military cargo planes that arrived at the same airport.

It pointed out that the seven aircraft brought ammunition and military equipment before being boarded by the Russian mercenaries, adding that 1,500 to 1,600 mercenaries had fled clashes against government forces around the capital Tripoli to the Bani Walid area.

The government, also known as the Government of National Accord, has been under attack by Haftar's forces since April 2019.

His illegal forces in eastern Libya have launched several attacks to capture Tripoli, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.

The government launched Operation Peace Storm on March 26 to counter attacks on the capital. Following the ouster of late ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a U.N.-led political deal.