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| Africa North |
| Qaeda-linked militants take over Benghazi |
| 2014-08-02 |
| [Iran Press TV] Al-Qaeda-linked snuffies in Libya have taken the control of the country's second largest city, Benghazi, after taking over the main military compounds there. After defeating military units loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar, al-Qaeda-linked groups overran an army base in Benghazi on Thursday, seizing dozens of weapons and boxes of ammunition. They also seized military barracks and everything inside the compounds, including tanks, rockets and other munitions. For months, Haftar was leading a self-declared campaign in the city to root out "terrorists" and "extremists." However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... he was dealt a heavy blow as his loyalists now appeared to be holding only the airport on the city's edges. A coalition of multiple armed factions established an umbrella group called Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries to fight off forces loyal to Haftar. Among the factions, there is an al-Qaeda offshoot known as 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 Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... , which has declared Benghazi an "Islamic Emirate." The so-called Ansar al-Sharia, comprising armed Salafis, had been set up during the Libyan Revolution of 2011, which ousted long-time dictator Muammar Gadaffi. At least 200 people have so far been killed amid violent festivities between rival militias, which erupted two weeks ago in the 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... , and the city of Benghazi. Libya's new parliament, which was elected last month, is going to hold an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the country. |
| Posted by:Fred |