TRIPOLI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Libyan army commander General Khalifa Haftar said Tuesday that the liberation of the eastern city of Darna from extremists is near.
Haftar, who leads the eastern-based army, made the remarks in a televised speech late Tuesday.
"You must advise your sons who joined the terrorist groups to abandon the fight against the army and hand over their weapons, in return for a commutation of their sentences or even amnesty," Haftar said, adding that the date of the liberation is "very near."
Haftar also called on the army to treat surrenders well.
The army is launching a military operation to take over Darna, a city besieged by Haftar's troops since 2015.
It has demanded that the Shura Council of the Mujahideen in Darna, a coalition of Islamist militias seeking to implement Sharia law in the city, leave.
Libya has been suffering unrest since its former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in an uprising in 2011.
The country is currently run by two rival administrations, one in capital Tripoli and the other in the northeastern city of Tobruk, backed by Haftar.
In December 2015, the two rival factions signed a UN-backed deal to form a unity government, which, however, has not been able to end the political division in the country.
