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| Africa North |
| Five Killed As Libyan Forces And Islamist Fighters Clash In Benghazi |
| 2014-12-24 |
| [Ynet] At least five people were killed and 35 maimed in festivities between Libyan pro-government forces and Islamist fighters in Benghazi, medics and military officials said. Army special forces and troops led by former general Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... have been fighting to oust Islamist groups in the eastern coastal city since October and have managed to retake the airport area and army camps that were seized in August. Islamist groups have managed to retain some control over the port and the Lithi residential area. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |