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TRIPOLI, Jan. 7-- The east-based army of Libya said on Monday they had captured the coastal city of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli, from the forces of the rival UN-backed government. Ahmad al-Mismari, spokesman of the east-based Libyan National Army, announced the "liberation" of Sirte at a press conference in the eastern city of Benghazi. Mismari also said the whole operation to control Sirte took no more than three hours, stressing that the operation was confidential. FINAL BATTLE AGAINST CAPITAL The announcement came as the east-based forces were launching the "final" battle to take Tripoli, which is controlled by the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Last month, Khalifa Haftar, commander of the east-based army, declared the launch of the final military campaign in and around the capital. "Today, we declare the final battle and advancement into the heart of the capital," Haftar said in a televised speech on the local TV channel Libya Al-Hadath. On Thursday, the east-based army announced that it had killed more than 20 members of the UN-backed government forces in south of Tripoli, one day after the UN-backed Libyan government's forces said they had captured 25 soldiers of the east-based army, bringing the total number of east-based army soldiers it captured in a week to more than 50. Haftar's army has been leading a military campaign in and around Tripoli since early April, trying to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government. | 
