UPDATE - Libya's Haftar begins campaign to take capital Tripoli

UPDATES WITH BACKGROUND; ADDS DETAILS

By Jihad Nasr, Walid Abdullah and Adam Moro

TRIPOLI (AA) - Military commander Khalifa Haftar on Thursday launched a campaign aimed at capturing capital Tripoli, where Libya’s UN-backed unity government is headquartered.

Haftar, who is affiliated with a rival government based in the eastern city of Al-Bayda, announced the launch of the campaign in a recorded message posted on his media office’s Facebook account.

“Today we continue the struggle and answer the calls of the people of Tripoli,” Haftar said in the message.

Interior Ministry under the Tripoli-based unity government declared a state of emergency, announcing that the Haftar’s forces will be held responsible for any negative development.

Meanwhile, revolutionist groups in western Libyan city of Misrata said they are ready to face Haftar’s forces, local media reported.

- UN expresses concern over military mobilization

UN Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted on Thursday: “I am deeply concerned by the military movements taking place in Libya and the risk of confrontation.”

“There is no military solution,” he said in reference to Libya’s ongoing political crisis. “Only intra-Libyan dialogue can solve Libya’s problems.”

Speaking from Tripoli, where he arrived Wednesday, Guterres urged the country’s rival political camps to exercise “calm and restraint”.

In an earlier tweet, the UN chief underlined his commitment to “supporting a Libyan-led political process leading to peace, stability, democracy and prosperity for the Libyan people”.

- Qatar warns Libya to avoid chaos, insecurity

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Libya faces the risk of “sliding back into chaos and insecurity”.

The ministry issued the warning in a statement released shortly after unity government claimed to have spotted forces loyal to Haftar near Tripoli.

“Qatar is following with great concern recent military escalations in Libya and warns against a further slide into chaos and insecurity in the west of the country [near Tripoli],” the ministry statement read.

Earlier Wednesday, Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Tripoli-based government, ordered the government’s security forces to “prepare for -- and respond to -- any threats aimed at destabilizing the region”.

Earlier the same day, Haftar reportedly ordered his forces to deploy to western parts of the country with a view to “purging the region of terrorist groups and strongholds”.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of President Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in the eastern city of Al-Bayda, to which Haftar is linked, and the UN-backed government in Tripoli.

*Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur