...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...
early on Tuesday, residents said, with the noise audible across much of the city and dark smoke in the sky.
Local television stations reported that a jacket wallah on a cycle of violence
had detonated a device at a roundabout where the main highway from the west enters the city, but there was no immediate official confirmation.If confirmed as an attack, it would be the first for more than a year.
"I was driving on the motorway early morning at about 7.30 and I heard a massive explosion... Most of the other vehicles turned back after we saw black smoke in the sky," said a witness who asked not to be named.
Libya has been convulsed by political chaos and warfare for much of the period since the 2011 revolution that ousted Muammar Qadaffy
...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him...
The country is split between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) loyal to Khalifa Haftar
...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. Actually, he is, but slowly...in Benghazi.
In June, the GNA ended a 14-month LNA assault on the capital and forced it to retreat, bringing a close to months of heavy bombardment.