Libyan Al-Wefaq government forces announced the retaking of the Hamza and Yarmouk camps south of the capital, Tripoli, from the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter. Away from the field, the US President discussed with his Turkish counterpart developments in Libya during a phone call.
Al-Wefaq government forces said they had started dismantling mines laid by Haftar forces inside the Hamza and Yarmouk camps, and in the areas near them. The Al-Wefaq forces had announced earlier control of the missile camp.
"Our forces extend their control over the rocket and Yarmouk and Hamza missile camps and continue to advance and pursue the remnants of the Haftar militia," Colonel Muhammad Qanunu, a spokesman for the al-Wefaq government forces, said in a statement on Saturday. The three sites are the largest camp south of Tripoli, according to Agence France-Presse.
Kanounou added, "The Military Engineering Brigades deal with mines laid by the militias before they escape."
The besieging of Tripoli airport,
meanwhile, a military source from Al-Wefaq forces confirmed to Al-Jazeera correspondent that Haftar forces were besieged inside Tripoli International Airport, after advancing from the Ramallah and Al-Towishah axes adjacent to the airport.
The military source indicated that Al-Wefaq forces opened fire in the Al-Hirah axis, south of the capital, towards the Al-Sibaiya road leading to Qasr Bin Ghashir area to cut the supply lines of Haftar forces holed up at the airport.
This source also confirmed the withdrawal of Haftar's forces from the rest area of Al-Hamra in the Ain Zara axis, to the axis of Wadi Al-Rabi`, southeast of Tripoli.
Haftar's audio recording
On his part, the retired Major General urged his fighters in a sound recording to confront what he called the Turkish colonialism, and said that his forces are fighting what he described as the "holy war" open on all fronts.
"You are fighting an all-out war in which there is nothing but victory, just as we are used to in all our battles against terrorism," he said. "We will fight and fight until we return the Turkish colonialist."
Libyan media has published pictures showing the deployment of Al-Wefaq government forces inside the sites that have recovered them, while Haftar's forces have not made any comment about their loss.
The forces of Haftar announced a few days ago what it called the movement of its units, ranging between two and three kilometers around Tripoli.
On the other hand, a number of activists on social media in Libya circulated pictures of a group of military vehicles and foreign fighters who said they were mercenaries for the Russian Wagner Company withdrawing from the fighting axes south of the Libyan capital.
Activists said that Wagner fighters withdrew from the axes south of Tripoli to the Al-Jafra base in central Libya via the city of Bin Walid, southeast of Tripoli, after the advance of the government of reconciliation forces.
Politically, US-Turkish contact , US President Donald Trump discussed with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan - in a telephone conversation on Saturday - the developments in the situation in Libya in addition to other issues.
The White House said in a statement that President Trump expressed concern about the exacerbation of foreign intervention in Libya, stressing the need to reduce clashes quickly.
On the other hand, a statement issued by the Communication Department of the Turkish Presidency said that the two presidents "discussed developments in Libya and Syria, along with the most important regional issues and bilateral relations."
The Turkish statement added that the two presidents "agreed to continue political and military cooperation to bring peace and stability to the region."
Earlier, the US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, during a telephone conversation with the President of the Presidential Council of the National Accord Government, Fayez al-Sarraj, stressed the urgent need "to end the destabilizing flow of military and mercenary equipment from Russia and other countries to Libya, and welcome the important contributions of the reconciliation government to Defeating terrorism and achieving peace. "
Norland reiterated what was stated by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Al-Sarraj earlier that the attack against Tripoli must end so that all foreign forces could leave, so that Libyan leaders who were ready to lay down their weapons could meet in a peaceful dialogue on contentious issues.
The Ambassador also informed Al-Sarraj that he intends to travel to Libya as soon as conditions permit to present his credentials formally and deepen the partnership between the United States and Libya.