Libya's UN-Backed Gov't Reclaims Town

CAIRO (AP) -- Libya's U.N.-backed government says it has taken back a strategic town near Tripoli from a Libyan commander whose forces have been fighting for the past three months to capture the country's capital.

The Tripoli-based government released a statement late on Wednesday, saying their militias have retaken Gharyan and vowing to pursue its liberation campaign until the "aggressors are purged from all areas."

The self-styled Libyan National Army of commander Khalifa Hifter launched a push on Tripoli in April, claiming it seeks to free the city of radical militias.

Gharyan, about 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, from Tripoli, was a key supply route for Hifter's forces.

Hifter's offensive against Tripoli has been widely criticized. So far, hundreds have been killed, mainly combatants but also civilians, and thousands have been displaced.

(KA)