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| Africa North |
| Islamists Win Support in Battle for Libyan Capital Airport |
| 2014-07-18 |
| [An Nahar] Powerful militias from the city of Misrata announced their support Thursday for Islamists in their battle against another gang for control of the Libyan capital's international airport. The fighting erupted on Sunday when Islamist gunnies launched an attack on the airport, which has for the past three years been held by liberal, anti-Islamist fighters from Zintan, southwest of the capital. Ex-rebel fighters from Zintan and Misrata, east 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... , both played a key role in the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... -backed uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Muammar Qadaffy ...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years until he was ejected from the gene pool by his indignant citizens... in 2011. But they have become fierce rivals in the deadly power struggle between gangs that followed and which is now wracking the North African country. There have been fierce festivities at the airport, which has been shut down indefinitely, with dozens of planes and the main terminal badly damaged by rocket fire. Leaders of the Misrata militias, in a statement broadcast on local television, described the assault on the airport as "a battle by the revolutionaries" against pro-Qadaffy elements. Although the situation appeared calmer on Thursday, the streets around the facility were largely empty. On Sunday, officials said a security guard was killed and six people maimed in the fighting, but no casualty toll has been announced since. The Misrata announcement has revived fears of the conflict spreading inside Tripoli itself, with official results still awaited from a June 25 election to the Islamist-dominated parliament. Analysts say liberals are poised to fill most seats in the new parliament, and that the battle for the airport reflects the Islamists' struggle for influence by other means. Islamist militias accuse ex-rebels from Zintan of harboring in their ranks soldiers and army officers who served under Qadaffy. Misrata leaders have also condemned a government statement that it was considering seeking international help to restore security in the increasingly lawless state. Successive interim administrations have struggled to establish a strong army and police force, giving former rebel groups a free hand. |
| Posted by:Fred |