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UN-backed Libyan government condemns Derna air strike
[Al Jazeera] The UN-backed government of Libya has strongly condemned the air strike on the eastern city of Derna and called on the UN Security Council to investigate the attack that killed at least 17 civilians.A statement issued on Tuesday by the Presidential Council on behalf of Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA), said that the air strike should be treated as a "war crime". While the statement did not say who was responsible for the deadly bombing, it called for the immediate lifting of more than a year of siege imposed on Derna city to allow humanitarian aid  and for those injured to be evacuated for treatment.READ MORE UN report: UAE violates Libya arms embargo "The siege has left many suffering," said the statement, adding that it will not tolerate the killing and intimidation of Libyan citizens. Derna has been besieged by gangs loyal to General Khalifa Haftar  ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, 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..., the self-styled chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA). The Mujahideen Shura Council, which is currently in de facto control of Derna, took the city from ISIS in 2015. It is the only city in eastern Libya not controlled by forces of General Haftar. Posted by: Fred 2017-11-01 |
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