Zintani brigades made another attempt to fight back against Operation Libya Dawn this week when they launched an offensive against the town of Kikla in the western mountains. The town which is situated about half way between Gharyan and Zintan was under the control of Operation Libya Dawn.
According to Operation Libya Dawn sources, their fighters succeeded in repelling the Zintanis, pushing them back out of the town. However, the Libyan army announced that under instructions from the chief of staff, Al-Nazuri, their forces, “headed by the Al-Sawaiq brigade” from Zintan had taken control of the town as well as other smaller villages in the area.
The army’s referring to the Zintani brigades as part of its own forces is a new and notable development. It follows on from the army’s describing General Khalifa Haftar’s forces last week as part of the official armed forces of the state. Indeed, reflecting the HoR’s desperation to try to regain control of the capital and elsewhere, Al-Thinni stated on 4 October that all forces fighting “terrorist militias” were to come under the authority of the army.