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Haftar’s Libyan Army claims control of GNA military base in Ain Zara
[ALMASDARNEWS] Footage released by the Libyan National Army (LNA) on Wednesday allegedly shows LNA forces after reportedly taking control over the Brigade N*42 base in Ain Zara, southern 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... Fighters from the LNA, led by Field Marshall 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..., can be seen celebrating and pulling victory signs while surveying the base. Since erupting over a week ago, fighting over the Libyan capital between Misrata forces and the LNA has left at least 47 dead, including 9 civilians. The LNA, which controls eastern Libya, is aiming to take over territory from the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) including Tripoli, as the country has been split between the two rival governments since 2014. Approximately 4,500 Tripoli residents have so far been displaced due to the ongoing festivities, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Posted by: Fred 2019-04-13 |
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