|
Haftar orders bombing of Italian warships requested by Sarraj
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Libyan commander General 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... , head of the Libyan National Army, has ordered the bombing of any Italian warships requested by the prime minister of the Government of National Accord of Libya Fayez al-Sarraj, excluding merchant vessels. This comes after the government of national accord announced the arrival of the Italian navy ship ’Commandante Prozini’ on Wednesday. On board the Italian ship was a group of experts in various fields en route to the naval base of 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... to assist the Libyan navy and Coast Guard in combating illegal im Sarraj had asked Rome to assist the authorities in Tripoli to stop illegal immigration through Libya’s territorial waters. This act has angered a number of Libyan activists who considered the move a "violation of Libyan illusory sovereignty." Posted by: Fred 2017-08-03 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=494169 |