... 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 his militias is still ongoing, Derna Shura Council has stated.
"The war is on despite the lack of support that we have." Derna Shura Council added in a statement Saturday.
It stressed that what is keeping their fight against Haftar and his forces alive is the backup of the residents in Derna and their rejection of the military coup.
"Our council doesn't follow the agenda of any political party in Libya as it is not a part of the conflicting political parties in the country." Derna Shura Council reaffirmed.
"No party or individual is allowed to use our name inside or outside Libya without a formal letter signed by the council's head." It explained.
It also expressed utter rejection for any political standpoint or vision that can make the country get astray away from the February revolution or harm it in any way.
"We only follow the Libyan Fatwa House that is headed by the Libyan Mufti, al-Sadiq al-Ghariani
...Libyan Moslem Brüderhood Grand Mufti since 2012. Issued a fatwa forbidding Libyan women from marrying foreign men. Issued a "fatwa against a UN Commission on the Status of Women's report because it urged governments to protect women and girls against violence" Aligned with the GNC govt...." The council reiterated.
The statement of the council clarified that the only goal the council has is to protect February revolution and the city as well as the residents, let alone helping Libya's revolutionaries, especially in Benghazi, given the amount of crimes and inhumanity they are facing.