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Africa North
Former govt minister killed in Libya IS group clashes
2016-05-23
[Al Ahram] A Libyan former minister was killed in festivities between unity government forces and fighters of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
hard boy group in the Sirte area, the LANA news agency reported Sunday.

Mohammed Soualem, labour minister in Ali Zeidan's government from 2012 to 2014, "was directing military operations against IS" at the time, said the agency loyal to the North African country's new unity government.

He was killed in fighting in the Abu Grein area, 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Sirte, the hard boy group's main stronghold in Libya and hometown of late dictator Muammar Qadaffy
...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years until he was ejected from the gene pool by his indignant citizens...
"The festivities cost the life of Commander Mohammed Soualem and maimed five fighters," LANA reported.

"Air units in support of this operation succeeded in destroying dozens of vehicles" used by IS "and maimed several" miliatns, it said.

Last Tuesday, forces loyal to the Government of National Accord said they had retaken the key town of Abu Grein from IS group.

GNA troops and forces of the rival government based in the east of the country and loyal to 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...
are engaged in a race to be first to eject IS group from Sirte, 400 kilometres 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...
The rivalry between the two factions is a major cause of international concern which sees it as jeopardising anti-militant efforts.

The GNA, recognised by the international community and based in Tripoli for the past month and a half, is trying to assert its authority over a country plagued by divisions and the hard boy threat.
Posted by:Fred

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