...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, 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, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. 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...issued Tuesday a decision to transfer 678 coppers and personnel from the Interim Government's Interior Ministry to his military forces.
The news agency issued a list of names for the transferred personnel. This comes a day after the statement of Haftar's front man Ahmed al-Mismari, who said their forces will continue with the war 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...
and won't accept negotiations or political solutions.
His statement was a response to UN envoy Ghassan Salame's Liberation interview in which he said that Haftar put conditions for possible withdrawal from Tripoli and had required significant state positions.
Observers believe that this decision by Haftar and the recent military reinforcement in eastern Libya that included even traffic coppers in Ajdabiya is an attempt to make up for the human loss since the start of Tripoli offensive in last April.
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Khalifa Haftar: 2019-09-09 High Council of State: UAE fueling war in Libya
Khalifa Haftar: 2019-09-09 Uneasy calm descends on Tripoli frontlines after failed attempts by Haftar's forces to retake lost positions
Khalifa Haftar: 2019-09-09 Haftar’s armed groups targeted an ambulance in Ain Zara, south #Tripoli
Khalifa Haftar: 2019-09-09 High Council of State: UAE fueling war in Libya
Khalifa Haftar: 2019-09-09 Uneasy calm descends on Tripoli frontlines after failed attempts by Haftar's forces to retake lost positions
Khalifa Haftar: 2019-09-09 Haftar’s armed groups targeted an ambulance in Ain Zara, south #Tripoli