The Commander of the Joint Force in the Western Region, Brigadier General Fitori Gribel, said that the process of withdrawing all heavy weapons and mercenaries of warlord Khalifa Haftar from Sirte and Jufra will begin by the end of this week or next week.

In a press statement, Gribel added that sub-committees emanating from the 5 + 5 Military Commission will be formed to directly supervise the withdrawal of forces from the Sirte and Jufra regions and from any other areas where there is a military presence.

He also indicated that his force would be primarily police forces to fill the gap left by the evacuation of fighters from the front lines, as he said.

In a contradictory statement, warlord Haftar’s representative to the 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva, Khairi Tamimi, said in a press statement on Friday that Sirte and Jufra will not be demilitarized, but they will form a joint force to protect them.

For his part, the chief of the morale guidance of Haftar’s so-called military command, Khaled Al-Mahjoub, said Friday that after the signing of the permanent ceasefire agreement in Geneva, all weapons will be handed over to the “Armed Forces”.

He added that they have “preconditions” to contain the “armed groups” within their ranks.