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| Africa North |
| Misrata-led forces appoint military governor for Sirte; dismayed by mayor election |
| 2016-12-15 |
| [Libya Observer] Military commanders of al-Bunyan al-Marsoos Operation have agreed to name Brig. Ahmed Abu Shahma as a military governor of Sirte. The nomination came in response to the election of Mukhtar al-Maadani as a new mayor of Sirte. al-Maadani is accused of being a loyalist to 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 Dignity Operation. Sirte was announced fully liberated from ISIS last week after seven months of fierce festivities in the city and its suburbs, but Dignity Operation claimed that Misrata-led forces' victory over ISIS was only a handover of the city from ISIS to al-Qaeda. "Sirte war was not for the sake of the nation, it was intended to raise al-Qaeda over ISIS," spokesperson of Dignity Operation said last week. Members of Sirte municipality elected Mukhtar al-Maadani as a mayor for the city in 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... on Monday. His election has sparked anger among al-Bunyan al-Marsoos brigades and social media activists. Misrata-led forces fear that the election of al-Maadani would hand over the city to Dignity Operation in spite of the high numbers of casualties during the seven-month fighting against ISIS. Last April, Mukhtar al-Maadani appeared in a video showing support to Khalifa Haftar and Dignity Operation. The video was filmed in Almarj, the stronghold town of Dignity Operation in east Libya where he received military vehicles and weapons for Sirte Police Department, which was established by the Interim Government of al-Thanni government. |
| Posted by:Fred |