UPDATE - Libya: Gov't forces recapture town, city near Tripoli

UPDATES WITH GNA’S SEIZURE OF SABRATAH CITY; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Walid Abdullah and Aydogan Kalabalik

TRIPOLI (AA) - Libya's UN-recognized government forces Monday seized control of a strategic town and city near the capital Tripoli from militias loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar.

Mustafa Al-Mujie, a spokesman for the military forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA), said they had entered the center of Sorman, a town south of Tripoli, and it was in their total control.

The Tripoli government’s forces also seized weapons and military vehicles, including armored vehicles, belonging to the pro-Haftar militia, he added.

Later in the day, the GNA forces also captured Sabratah, a city west of Tripoli, according to information obtained by the Anadolu Agency reporter on the ground.

The GNA has been under attack by Haftar’s forces since last April, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence. It launched "Operation Peace Storm" on March 26 to counter the attacks on the capital.

Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: Haftar in eastern Libya, supported by Egypt and the

United Arab Emirates, and the GNA in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

*Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg and Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara