[MAGHAREBIA] The latest festivities in the Libyan city of Sirte reportedly killed a young man at the week-end, prompting tribal elders and Libyan politicians on Sunday (September1st) to call for calm."There was fighting in the central town area between two gangs in which light and medium weapons were used," local resident Ezzedine al-Amin said.
| All the heavy weapons having been sold to their friends in Syria... |
The General National Congress asked the western faction of the Libya Shield forces to step in to ensure stability in Sirte.
"There are talks and a series of continuous meetings between the local council and Council of Elders and all security agencies in town," al-Amin said. "They want to put an end to the recent security chaos in Sirte, including liquidations, festivities and attacks on state properties."
"There is major resentment over the bad security situation," he added.
Shield forces were reportedly prepared to intervene should the situation deteriorate.
The security threat escalated last month, when Derna jihadists said they would move into Sirte. The snuffies threatened that anyone who stood up to them would be killed.
Their threat followed the death of the commander of al-Qaeda in Sirte. He died last month following festivities with the Zawiya Martyrs Brigade, which is affiliated with the Libyan army.
"Ahmed al-Tir, also known as Abu Ali - the commander of the al-Farouk brigade recently named by al-Qaeda as emir of Sirte - was maimed in Sirte," said Amin al-Mansouri, a 24-year-old employee at the city's university.
The Islamist fighter was then reportedly taken to Tunisia, where he died of his wounds on August 4th. Two foreigners fighting in his al-Farouk brigade -Tunisian Hasan Mohamed and Algerian national Ali Sasi - were critically maimed, al-Mansouri added.
The festivities with Ansar al-Sharia
...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Tunisia and Yemen, with the Tunisian version currently most active...
have not been the only incidents to rattle nerves in Sirte.
Journalist Youssef Mohammed told Magharebia that Radio Free Sirte was robbed and sabotaged.
With equipment stolen, the station was taken off the air.