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| Africa North |
| Al-Barghathi moves Brigade 204 Tank Brigade under UN-proposed government’s command |
| 2016-08-11 |
| [Libya Observer] The defense minister-designate of the UN-proposed government, Mihdi Al-Barghathi, ordered to move the Brigade 204 Tanks from the command of 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... ’s Dignity Operation to the command of the Defense Ministry of the UN-proposed government. The Brigade 204 Tanks has been therefore tasked to secure the office of defense ministry in Benghazi and be ready to follow its orders, Al-Barghathi’s order, which was issued Tuesday, reads. It is noteworthy that Brigade 204 Tanks was fighting alongside Haftar’s militias in Benghazi under the command of Al-Barghathi. This decision follows Hafatr’s order to rename the Brigade 204 Tanks to Brigade 298 Tanks and to move it to the command of Benghazi Military Zone with a new commander, Abdel Kareem Al-Barghathi, instead of Mihdi Al-Barghathi. |
| Posted by:Fred |