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| Africa North |
| Three dead and 17 injured in Benghazi clashes |
| 2014-06-26 |
| [Libya Herald] The deaths of three security security forces members and 17 maimed have been reported in Benghazi after 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 Libya and 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 domain name hasn't expired yet... forces opened fire on a Benghazi Joint Security Room (BJSR) convoy as it moved to protect polling stations The spokesperson for Benghazi Medical Centre (BMC) told the Libya Herald that of the 17 maimed two were at death's door following the attack and that staff at the hospital were struggling to cope with the wave of casualties. 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 said festivities had now spread across city's Hawari district where the first shots were fired and appear to be concentrated around the headquarters of Benghazi Security Directorate. Hassi said the security directorate had been hit by a number of anti-aircraft shells and stressed that no polling centres had been attacked during the fighting. Spokesman for Operation Dignity Mohammed Hejazi told this paper that the military forces had been attacked by the Ansar Al-Sharia Radallah Sahati battalion, calling the assault a terrorist act. He explained that the BJSR convoy had been moving to protect polling stations in the Hawari and Gwarsha districts when it was attacked. Hejazi said Operation Dignity had agreed to suspend all of its activities over the course of today's voting, allowing residents the opportunity to vote in safety. He added that Dignity forces would respond to the attacks with great force. All roads to Hawari have now been shut by security forces in an effort to contain the fighting and Operation Dignity aircraft have flown over the area a number of times.. |
| Posted by:Fred |