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500 east Libyan fighters to go to Russia for treatment
[ALMASDARNEWS] 500 soldiers from the forces of Libyan 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... will been sent to Russia for treatment. Rooters has reported that the first 70 have already arrived in Russia. This is the first obvious cooperation between Moscow and an gang in Libya, an official and a military source said. Opponents of Haftar, head of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) based in the east of the country, worry that his engagement with Russia is an attempt to challenge the fragile U.N.-supported government in 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... , which he has shunned, Rooters reported. The fighters will be transfered from Benina airport in Benghazi to Egypt, before arriving in Russia. Haftar, whose forces have been fighting against an alliance of Islamist turbans and former rebels in Benghazi for two years, enjoys close ties to Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. He has cultivated his friendship with Russia, visiting Moscow twice last year to ask for military aid, the Rooters report continued. Posted by: Fred 2017-02-03 |
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