Seven weeks in and eastern-based General Khalifa Haftar has still not been able to breach the defenses of Libya’s capital. Rather than marching into Tripoli like a liberation force, his Libyan National Army (LNA) has met fierce resistance and managed to unite previously warring or immobilized fighting units against it.
For now, it appears the two sides are equally matched. At its closest point, the frontline is around 10km outside the city center, but this has barely moved in weeks. Compare this to Mr Haftar’s lightning advance through the sparsely populated south of the country (MEES, 1 March), and it certainly looks like the general miscalculated. (CONTINUED - 865 WORDS)
