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| Africa North | ||
| French ‘not fighting’ in Libya, says commander | ||
| 2016-02-26 | ||
"The French military group in Benghazi are just military advisers who provide consultations to the Libyan National Army in its battle against terrorism, but they are not fighting with our Libyan forces," special forces commander Wanis Bukhamada told Rooters. There was no immediate French comment. The French newspaper Le Monde reported on Wednesday that French special forces and intelligence commandos were engaged in "a secret war" against ISIS in anarchy-ridden Libya in conjunction with the United States and Britannia. La Belle France’s Defence Ministry declined comment on the report. Libyan military forces in Benghazi are under the command of 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... and loyal to the North African country’s government based in the eastern city of al-Bayda. A rival armed faction took over 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... in the far west in 2014 and set up its own self-declared government. Haftar’s forces have been advancing against ISIS in Benghazi, taking back neighborhoods that had been under bully boy control for months. Western leaders have been looking at ways to stop the spread of ISIS in Libya, where holy warriors have exploited a breakdown of state order since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Qadaffy ...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him... to seize control of some towns. Last Friday a U.S. air strike targeted Islamist holy warriors in the western Libyan city of Sabratha, killing more than 40. | ||
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 It just depends on what you mean by fighting. If you are talking about eye gouging, ear biting, e-tool and brass knuckles, hand grenades, and pistols, no we are not fighting BUT popping bad guys at 1200 meters with a large caliber rifle...maybe. Does rousting some miscreant out of bed in the middle of the night with a gun stuck in his mouth count as fighting??? |
| Posted by: Bill Clinton 2016-02-26 22:02 |
| #2 helping coordinate Libyan forces fighting Boots on the ground, but they aren't laced. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-02-26 15:34 |
| #1 "We haven't fought since Napoleon."? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2016-02-26 14:40 |