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Libyan army launches push for order in Benghazi
Libyan's army moved into Benghazi in eastern Libya on Friday, a show of force aimed at restoring order in the country's second largest city, rocked by almost daily bombings and assassinations, Reuters reported.Security in the port city, an important part of Libya's oil infrastructure, has deteriorated in the past few months with armed militants and radical Islamists roaming unchallenged, highlighting the anarchy in the OPEC producer two years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Hundreds of armored troop carriers and army trucks mounted with guns drove through the old city near the Corniche after Friday prayers, cheered by residents tired of violence, witnesses said. "We stand by the people," Wanis Bukhmada, commander of special forces in Benghazi, told a crowd. "We won't allow anyone to mess around with security anymore." Some 500 people took to the streets, welcoming the army, which has been accused by critics of keeping largely to barracks in recent months. "We are with the army. There is no security without the army," political activist Hania al-Gumati told Reuters during the demonstration. But hours later unknown gunmen killed a security officer in Benghazi, a security source said.
Posted by: Steve White 2013-11-09 |
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