|
Five dead in suspected IS attack in central Libya
[IsraelTimes] At least five people were killed Monday and 10 others were kidnapped in an attack by suspected Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group jihadists on a town in central Libya, local and military sources say. Three civilians were among the dead, while a soldier was maimed and 10 people were "missing, probably kidnapped," says General Ahmed al-Mesmari, front man for the Libyan National Army. The raid targeted the desert town of al-Fuqaha in Jufra district, which has for over a year been held by forces allied to Libyan strongman 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..., who leads the self-styled LNA. LNA forces responded to the attack but the IS fighters fled south, killing a five victim and injuring another at a security checkpoint, Mesmari says. Earlier, municipal council member Abdellatif Jalala told AFP that three civilians and a policeman had been killed in the dawn attack, more than 800 kilometers (490 miles) south of 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... He says the assailants kidnapped at least eight others before fleeing into the Haruj mountains further south. Jufra politician Ismail al-Sharif says IS fighters attacked the city with 25 vehicles, beheaded five civilians and torched local government and security offices. The attackers set fire to police posts and public buildings in al-Fuqaha, he added. Both Sharif and Jalala say the raid was likely retaliation for arrests earlier this month of alleged IS members in the area. Posted by: trailing wife 2018-10-30 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=526518 |