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| Africa North |
| 400 Europe-Bound Migrants Held in Libya Dawn Raid |
| 2015-05-18 |
[AnNahar] Libyan authorities locked awayKeep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! 400 illegal migrants, including several pregnant women, at dawn on Sunday as they prepared to board boats for Europe, officials said. Most of the migrants were Somalis and Æthiopians and included "pregnant women", said Mohammed Abdelsalam al-Kuwiri, front man for a unit in the 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... -based government that combats illegal migration. He said they were arrested as they were getting ready to board boats in Tajura, east of the capital. An AFP photographer said dozens of migrants were taken by car to a detention center in Tripoli. A migration squad official said the arrests coincided with the launch of an operation targeting people smugglers. The operation, run by the Tripoli-based government which is not recognized by the international community, calls for "coordination between various security services", the official said. The government in Tripoli was created by the powerful Fajr Libya militia alliance last August during a power struggle with the internationally recognized administration now based in the east. Fajr Libya is one of several heavily armed militias that have been vying for power in Libya since the end of the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran strongman Muammar Qadaffy ... who had more funny outfits than Louis XIV... Jihadists from the 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.... group have also gained a foothold in the oil-rich North African country, feeding on the political breakdown and lawlessness. People smugglers have operated in Libya for years, but have exploited the chaos since the end of the revolt to step up their lucrative trade. With a coastline of 1,770 kilometers (more than 1,000 miles), Libya has always been a stepping stone for Africans seeking a better life in Europe. Most head for the Italian island of Lampedusa 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Libya's shores. One man who had hoped to reach Italia before his arrest Sunday was Adam Ibrahim Abdullah from Somalia. "I paid $1,400 to come to Tripoli. I stayed here in a compound for two months, and then I paid $1,400 again to go to Italia," he told AFP. He said he wanted to start a new life in Italia "because my country is in conflict and there is no government." Maneh from Niger and Anabelle from Nigeria said they hoped to join relatives who have already left for Europe, pleading not to be deported back home. "I don't want to go back to my country. There is nobody to help me there. I beg you, keep me in Libya," Maneh said, tears running down her cheeks. Illegal migrants arrested in Libya are usually held in detention centers before being deported. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 So how's that intervention in Libya going Madame Secretary? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2015-05-18 10:30 |