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| - Military strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces, which Monday seized the coastal city of Sirte, launched an April 2019 offensive on Tripoli, seat of Libya's UN-recognised government. Here is a timeline of Haftar's offensive. On April 4, Haftar orders his troops to "advance" on Tripoli, seat since 2016 of the GNA which he claims is backed by "terrorist" groups. Haftar supports a parallel administration based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and his forces already control the country's main southern oil fields. His self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) briefly seizes Tripoli's war-destroyed international airport but is pushed back on April 5. Government forces announce a counter-offensive called "Volcano of Anger" on April 7. Haftar's aircraft carry out a strike against Tripoli's only functioning airport, Mitiga, on April 8. On April 19, the White House says President Donald Trump recognised Haftar's "significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya's oil resources". Fighting intensifies south of Tripoli. On June 26, GNA forces deliver a major blow to Haftar's group by retaking the town of Gharyan, its main supply base southwest of the capital. On July 2, an air strike hits a migrant detention centre in a Tripoli suburb. Fifty-three people are killed and 130 wounded. The GNA blames Haftar's forces, which deny responsibility. On November 5, The New York Times reports that Russia has sent around 200 mercenaries to Libya to support Haftar. Moscow denies that it has dispatched the fighters. On the 15th, the United States urges Haftar to end his offensive. On November 27, Turkey signs a military and maritime cooperation deal with the Tripoli government. A UN report accuses several countries of breaching a 2011 arms embargo by supplying the belligerent parties. While Turkey supports the GNA, its rivals Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among countries that back Haftar. On December 12, Haftar announces a new "decisive battle" and an "advance on the heart of Tripoli". On the 19th, the GNA cabinet approves the implementation of the military deal reached with Turkey. The following day it calls for security assistance from other "friendly countries", including the United States and Britain. UN envoy Ghassan Salame on December 30 warns of a dangerous "internationalisation" of the conflict. Turkey's parliament on January 2 passes a bill approving a military deployment to shore up the GNA. The next day Haftar calls on all Libyans to take up arms in response to a prospective Turkish intervention. On January 5, President Recip Tayyip Erdogan says Turkish soldiers have begun deploying to Libya. On January 6, Haftar's forces say they have taken control of Sirte from forces allied with the GNA. More than 280 civilians have been killed since the start of the Tripoli offensive, according to the UN. The fighting has displaced 146,000 people and claimed the lives of more than 2,000 fighters. acm-jmy/hc
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