Libya's eastern commander, Khalifa Hifter, said on Wednesday his forces had taken full control of Libya's second city Benghazi from rival armed groups after a three-year campaign.
The battle for Benghazi between Hifter's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) and an array of Islamist militants and other fighters has been part of a broader conflict since Libya slipped into turmoil following the 2011 fall of strongman Moammar Gadhafi.
Victory would mark a major advance for the one-time commander in Gadhafi's army, who has slowly gained ground in eastern and southern Libya in defiance of a U.N.-backed government that is struggling to extend its influence from the capital, Tripoli.