However, it was deserted on Sunday with Misrata forces deployed on the airport road and no sign of Zintani fighters. The Misrata forces have rejected the new House of Representatives, where liberals and lawmakers campaigning for a federalist system have made a strong showing. The parliament has declared Operation Dawn as well as militant Islamists like the Ansar al-Sharia as "terrorist groups". Haftar launched a campaign against Islamists in the eastern city of Benghazi in May and threw his weight behind the Zintan fighters. Misrata forces have blamed the air strikes on Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, two countries which have cracked down on Islamists.
