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Eastern Libyan military’s jets hit Islamists in Derna
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Military forces loyal to Libya's eastern government said on Thursday they had carried out air strikes overnight against Islamist fighters in Derna after ISIS turbans retreated from positions close to the city.Derna has been the site of a three-way conflict between the forces loyal to the eastern government, an Islamist grouping known as the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council and ISIS bully boys. Fighters from ISIS had controlled the city until the Shura Council forces pushed them out last June. The military has attacked both groups. Military front man Abdulkarim Sabra said the overnight air strikes had targeted Shura Council fighters in Derna’s Sayeda Khadija neighborhood and at Bishr prison. He made no comment on possible casualties. Shura Council front man Hafed Addabaa said the prison had held ISIS suspects and added that the strikes had not caused any casualties or damage. The military and the Shura Council both claimed credit for Wednesday’s withdrawal of ISIS from positions in Derna’s ’district 400’ and al-Fatayeh to the south of the city. "We attacked ISIS (ISIS) in al-Fatayeh to recapture the area ... The attack was from all sides except the south, which is where they fled," said Addabaa. Five Shura Council fighters and six non-combatants were killed by mines and booby traps after they entered al-Fatayeh, he said. Sabra, the military front man, said ISIS had retreated because of a year-long blockade by the army and shelling by troops of the bully boys’ positions. Soldiers posted videos of themselves in al-Fatayeh on Thursday, saying they had control of the area. ISIS has gained territory in Libya as two rival governments and a range of armed factions have battled to control the country since 2014. But it has faced resistance from other local gangs on the ground. Derna, which has a history of Islamist militancy, was an early bastion for ISIS fighters returning from Iraq and Syria in 2014. Though they lost control of Derna last year, the group established a stronghold in the central coastal city of Sirte. Last month, a UN-backed Libyan unity government arrived in the capital Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and is trying to establish its authority over the large oil-producing nation. But allies of eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... have prevented moves by Libya's eastern parliament towards recognizing the new unity government. The military loyal to the eastern government has been making advances on the ground in Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city, which is on the coast about 250 km (155 miles) west of Derna. On Thursday UN Libya envoy Martin Kobler appealed to warring parties in Benghazi to help the departure of civilians who are trapped in areas where there is fighting and who wish to leave. The United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... says a large number of civilians including Libyans and migrant workers are trapped in several districts in Benghazi, where they face shortages of food and medical supplies. Posted by: Fred 2016-04-22 |
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