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Gaddafi loyalists break up with Haftar, call him "a traitor"
[Libya Observer] Pro-Qadaffy al-Jamahiriya... An Arabic neologism coined by the late and unlamented Muammar al-Qadaffy. The word jamahiriya was derived from jumhuriya, which is the usual Arabic translation of republic. It was coined by changing the component jumhur ‐ public‐ to its plural form, jamahir — the masses. Thus, it is similar to the term People's Republic, only more denigrating to the actual inhabitants of the country... TV issued a statement Wednesday accusing 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, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. 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. Actually, he is, but slowly...and his forces of being linked to foreign agenda and described Haftar as a traitor and a foreign agent receiving his orders from overseas. The statement slammed Haftar for his role in the current conflict, saying real commanders should fight on the battlefield not in their luxurious houses thousands of kilometers away from frontlines "doing commercial and political deals at the expense of the blood of the ordinary people". "We won't be part of a virtual command that hasn't even heard of the loss of Gharyan until three days later and al-Watiya airbase until today. A command that hasn't visited frontlines for over a year and half." The Gadaffi loyalists' statement says, adding that the tactical withdrawals and truces aren't as they claim, but in fact, they are orders coming from overseas and they must be implemented. They also slammed Haftar's zero hour statements and delusional truces as well as the political mandate, saying they only believe in staying on the ground in Libya on the battlefield and that those who can't be on the frontlines can't be mandated for any role. The statement was a response to Haftar's front man Ahmed al-Mismari who said their forces would move 2-3 kilometers away from south 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... frontlines to allow people to spend Ramadan days and Eid al-Fitr celebration in peace. In an earlier statement, al-Mismari said their forces would withdraw from some southern Tripoli locations for "repositioning" as part of a "military tactic for mobilization of forces". Related: Jamahiriya: 2020-05-18 Germany exports millions in arms to Libya war belligerents, despite embargo Jamahiriya: 2020-05-07 Al-Sunni appeals to members of the UNSC not to call Haftar’s forces the ‘National Army’ Jamahiriya: 2020-05-06 LNA Repels GNA Attack on Al-Watiya Airbase, 23 Dead Posted by: Fred 2020-05-21 |
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