Summary
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar announced Thursday the "liberation" of Derna, the only city in the eastern region beyond his control, from radical Islamist militias.
Derna had been held by a ragtag alliance of Islamist and jihadist militias, including groups close to Al-Qaeda hostile to both Haftar and Daesh.
Accused by his opponents of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship in Libya, Haftar supports a parallel government that rules over eastern Libya and challenges the authority of the UN-backed government based in Tripoli in the west.
Libya has been wracked by conflict since the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising, with rival governments and militias competing for authority and oil wealth.
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