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| Africa North |
| Thousands of Libyans rally in support of General Haftar |
| 2014-05-24 |
| [Iran Press TV] Thousands of people have held a demonstration in the Libyan 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... in support of retired General Khalifa Haftar. The demonstrators erupted into the streets of the city on Friday to back Haftar, whose forces launched an offensive against snuffies on May 16. Similar demonstrations were also held in the restive northeastern city of Benghazi and in the towns of Ajdabiya and Gharghour. Many of the participants carried banners reading slogans such as "No to terrorism" and "We want a nation with dignity, not a state of militias." Security measures were in place around the protests, but no violence was reported. Haftar has launched a military offensive in the country's east, saying that he wants to crush the snuffies and to establish stability in Libya. His campaign has drawn support from high-ranking officials, military officers and soldiers. The head of Libya's navy, General Hassan Abu-Shannaq, has also expressed his support for the operations by Haftar's loyalists. Haftar's forces took over Libya's General National Congress building earlier this week, provoking rival Death Eater groups to dispatch their forces to the capital. Concern is now rising that the two sides may engage in a battle for power in the near future. |
| Posted by:Fred |