Derna Shura Council (now named Derna Protection Force) has announced that about five of its fighters have been killed and others have been wounded in renewed clashes with the self-styled army of Khalifa Haftar. 

Forces under Gen. Khalifa Hiftar have started a land and air operation to wrest the eastern city of Derna from an alliance of militant armed groups, Human Rights Watch said today. All parties to the conflict are obligated to respect the laws of war and spare civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The Derna Shura Council in eastern Libya has announced its dissolution and the formation of a new body called Derna Security Force.

The High Council of State (HCS) has called on neighboring tribes of Derna to intervene urgently to spare the city and its civilians from the scourge of war and to contribute to ending it as soon as possible.

Member of the Presidential Council, Mohamed Amari Zayed, expressed in a statement issued Monday his strong condemnation of the military operations of Dignity Operation, currently taking place against the city of Derna.

Libyan army commander Khalifa Haftar announced the start of military operations to “liberate” the eastern city of Derna on Monday after his forces clashed with rival militias on the city’s outskirts.

Clashes erupted between the Libyan self-styled army and Derna Shura Council in Fatayeh district in the east of the city. The fighting started Monday morning as Khalifa Haftar-commanded forces, which are encircling Derna, arrived on the outskirts of Fatayeh university.

Army forces are gathering in and around Libya’s Derna as military strongman Khalifa Haftar announced plans to liberate the city.

One of the Derna Shura council fighters was killed and another was wounded on Sunday in airstrikes on Heela frontline in southern Derna.

Over seven fighters were killed from Operation Dignity militias in eastern Libya as they clashes with the Derna Shura Council fighters in Heela and Dahar Al-Hamar front lines.