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| Africa North |
| Libyan forces attack Islamic State near former stronghold |
| 2017-09-05 |
| [REUTERS] East Libyan forces said they had launched air strikes on 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 Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... fighters after the murderous Moslems made incursions south and east of their former coastal stronghold of Sirte. The jihadist group has grown bolder in recent weeks, setting up temporary checkpoints, attacking local forces, and taking over a village mosque to lead prayers during the Moslem holiday of Eid al-Adha, Libyan officials say. The increased activity has raised concern that Islamic State could regroup around Sirte, from where it was driven out in December by local forces and a U.S. air campaign. Most murderous Moslems were killed in the nearly seven-month battle, but an unknown number fled into the desert to the south and west. Sirte lies at the center of Libya’s Mediterranean coastline, on the dividing line between regions controlled by rival Libyan factions. Forces loyal to eastern-based commander 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... said they had carried out air strikes on Sunday against murderous Moslems in the area of Ain Taqrift, between Sirte and the town of Zillah, 306 km (190 miles) to the south east. The area is close to oil fields previously damaged by Islamic State attacks. |
| Posted by:Fred |