After humiliating defeats over the last weeks, especially the loss of southern Tripoli and Tarhouna, Khalifa Haftar issued a statement through his General Command saying his forces' withdrawal was to protect civilians and to avoid destruction in cities, saying they will now fight in the desert and in the open.
The statement, which didn't bear his signature, said the General Command had decided to restructure the main operations room with appointments of new qualified officers who can adapt to the ever-shifting battles.
"The management of military operations will be much better in the coming period as part of a new firm strategy that is backed by the armed forces, civilian authorities, and the people from all tribes." The statement reads.
It adds that after Haftar's forces "succeeded in liberation of Tripoli battle, Turkish intervention turned the war on terrorism to an international war with local slogans."
Haftar's forces and Russian Wagner Group mercenaries are still positioned inside Sirte as GNA forces' reinforcements lie some few kilometers away awaiting orders to advance on both Sirte and Jufra, according to GNA's liberation room in the area.
