[Al Ahram] Gunmen killed two army officers on Sunday in a Libyan town that was one of the last strongholds of Muammar Qadaffy...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland and was then murdered by his indignant subjects 42 years later...
's regime before his overthrow and killing last year, the military said.
Captains Mohamed al-Zarruk and Ahmed al-Haj Mohamed were killed when reinforcements were called in to the oasis town of Bani Walid, 170 kilometres (105 miles) southeast 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...
, after interior ministry forces were trapped by gunnies, the army said.
"Members of the (interior ministry-controlled) high security commission were looking for a man accused of murder when gunnies surrounded them," Bani Walid military commander General Hussein Khalifa told AFP.
"Army units were called to their rescue but they came under fire and two officers were killed."A ceremony was held at the military airport in Tripoli in honour of the two officers. It was attended by armed forces chief of staff General Yussef al-Mangush as well as the bereaved families.
Bani Walid has been the scene of repeated festivities between government forces and residents, many of whom rue the overthrow of Qadaffy, who lavished resources on the area during his four-decade rule.In October, former rebel groups stormed the town on defence ministry orders to "purge" Qadaffy loyalists.
The ensuing festivities left dozens dead and maimed before the authorities took control of the town.