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| Africa North |
| Ansar Al-Sharia leader reported wounded in Benina clashes |
| 2014-10-13 |
| [Libya Herald] Mohammed Al-Zahawi the leader of Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... in Benghazi is reported to have been maimed or even killed in festivities yesterday evening near Benina Airport. Pray for sepsis... Reliable sources told the Libya Herald they had received unconfirmed reports that Zahawi had been taken to Sirte's Abin Sina Hospital to receive medical treatment. "What are his symptoms?" "He's stiff as a board, all the fluids in his body have settled, and he's pooped himself!" "Looks like a case of rigor mortis!" A senior figure in Operation Dignity based in Tobruk said he had heard rumours that Zahawi had been injured or killed but could not confirm or deny the information. Head of Saiqa Special Forces ...Libya's elite army unit, insofar as they have one, formed from a mixture of paratroopers and commandos. The group emerged from a militia with the same name in 2010. It now numbers a few thousand and reports to the Ministry of Defence. It deployed in Benghazi in an attempt to control the carnage. As a result, it has been attacked and several of its officers murdered. The force is popular in Benghazi for its stance against Ansar al-Sharia group... Investigations Unit Fadel Al-Hassi, who was on the ground during festivities both yesterday evening and this morning at Benina, also said he had no verified information on the condition of the Ansar al-Sharia leader. However Hassi explained some light skirmishes had taken place around the Airport yesterday evening with heavier fighting in the early hours of the morning. He said three members of Saiqa had been killed in those festivities and four maimed. He added that the injured men had been taken to Marj hospital where their condition was stable. Clashes in and around Benina have raged more or less constantly for the last ten days. Ansar al-Sharia and its allies in the Benghazi Revolutionaries' Shoura Council have been attacking Operation Dignity's last remaining positions near the city at Benina. This is not the first time that Zahawi has been reported killed. In June, rumours circulated that he had died while receiving treatment at Benghazi's Jalaa Hospital. It later emerged he had been injured in the neck while fighting in Buatni. |
| Posted by:Fred |