The beginning was with the discovery of the traces of the movement of vehicles south of Qatroun, on Wednesday evening, when the army’s desert patrol was combing the place, where tracking traces led to the discovery of the hiding place of the organization’s elements in Asida Mountain, according to a statement by the army..
The military force clashed with the terrorists, before sending reinforcements to the area, in addition to air support, as the confrontations and the pursuit of the remnants of that fleeing group continued until Thursday evening..
The confrontations resulted in the killing of 24 members of that cell, including four who blew themselves up before their arrest, while four army men died..
The army statement suggested that this cell was under the leadership of the terrorist Moataz Ahmed, whose movements had previously been monitored by the armed forces, and his last appearance was in Murzuq a few days ago..
extensive operation
The Libyan military expert, Muhammad Al-Tarhouni, said that this is not the first operation of the army in the south, and “it will not be the last,” explaining that the Libyan armed forces are moving in a wide range, starting from the city of Sebha, where their efforts there have succeeded recently in eliminating the hotbeds of illegal immigration, which It is a major “resource” for fighters in the terrorist organization.
Al-Tarhouni continued, in his speech to “Sky News Arabia”, “The Qatrun operation is very large and tight, which resulted in the elimination of a large number of terrorists, and the matter will not stop at the ordinary elements only, but rather the head of those terrorist groups there.”“.
The military expert confirmed that the Libyan army had extensive experience from the battles it fought against terrorist organizations in the eastern region during the past years, but it does not receive support, as its members have suffered for four months from non-disbursement of salaries, in addition to attempts to “obstruct” its efforts in the war on terrorism, and despite Therefore, he has the strength, equipment and capabilities that enable him to combat terrorism and organized crimes in the south.
Battle in difficult terrain
The strategic expert, Brigadier General Muhammad al-Rajbani, said that the army had monitored the start of the organization’s activity in an area 80 km south of Qatroun, where the terrorists took advantage of the difficult terrain there to try to position themselves and create a fulcrum in Asida Mountain, where violent clashes took place there..
Al-Rajbani pointed out that the news coming from the area currently indicates that the death toll among the terrorists has risen to three, stressing that the confrontations are continuing in the place, as the army seeks to completely cleanse it..
Al-Rajbani stressed that the danger is great for the south, which suffers from many problems, expressing his confidence in the ability of the armed forces to meet this challenge, in which they need support from Arab countries..
In early January, the Libyan National Army launched a military operation in the south of the country to impose security, counter smuggling and drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and the spread of armed militias and mercenaries..
secret character
According to military analyst Samer Al-Daraji, the army’s operations have assumed the nature of complete secrecy, and have been going on for several months, and the army forces were able to cover them with several operations, including the pursuit of smugglers, as well as protecting the southern borders. It still operates near the cities of southwestern Libya.
According to the expert in terrorist groups, Sultan al-Sharif, this operation targets the last organized terrorist groups in southern Libya, and to secure the borders adjacent to Niger, Mali and Algeria, which are considered a crossing point for smugglers and terrorists to the southern borders of Libya, which is the soft area in Libya currently..
The residents of the southern region also live in a state of constant security anxiety. At the beginning of last December, the army thwarted the militia’s attempt to storm the Military Intelligence headquarters and other army sites and outposts, in order to expel it.
The south of Libya is a border triangle with Chad and Sudan, which in the past ten years has turned into an “important” corridor for arms smuggling and human trafficking, and has become one of the most important outlets for illegal immigration to Europe.