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| Africa North |
| Ansar al-Sharia issues Libya threat |
| 2014-05-30 |
| [MAGHAREBIA] Libyan jihadist group 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, Tunisia and Yemen, with the Libyan and Tunisian versions currently most active... on Tuesday (May 27th) lashed out at opponents, threatening to turn the country into a new Syria. The terror group issued the ominous warning during a presser called to denounce General Khalifa Haftar's "Operation Dignity". "We thank God that we were able to defeat Haftar and we challenge him to attempt entering Benghazi again. We warn him that if he continues this war against us, Moslems from across the world will come to fight, as is the case in Syria right now," Libya Herald quoted Ansar al-Sharia leader Mohammed al-Zawahi as saying. The leader of the al-Qaeda-inspired group went on to label Haftar a "new Qadaffy", AFP reported. "If he insists on this dirty war, it will open the gates of hell on him and the whole region," al-Zawahi said. The message came as Libya witnesses a wave of violence that many blame on rogue Islamist militias. On Monday, top Libyan journalist Meftah Bouzid was rubbed out in broad daylight in the centre of Benghazi. Bouzid, the editor of Brnieq, was a vocal critic of jihadist groups. Then on Tuesday, a Libyan student fell victim to the bloodshed. The severed head of a young man was found in the Sabaha mosque in Derna, Libya Herald reported. According to witnesses, Turkawi had challenged members of the Islamic Army in Derna who had seized his car at a checkpoint. "Derna is considered a hotbed and a starting point for myrmidon jihadist fighters, who have benefited from the rugged mountains in the city," explained Salah Mohammed, a 35-year-old computer engineer. "Thus Derna is considered an extension to al-Qaeda and to Islamic fighting groups." For her part, Derna high school student Hanane Massoun said that Libya had become "a scary country with no security or safety". "You are at risk whether at home or in the street. This is what we are facing in Derna," she added. Mardiya Faraj, a 37-year-old teacher, said that Ansar al-Sharia "wants to control people with their ideology while they are doing what they want and not what Allah wants". "We want the army and the police and not masked young men with arms to scare us," Faraj added. "The government needs to do something against these armed terrorists," commented Yusef al-Sharif, a government employee from 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... . "Things have progressed and they need to do something, not just statements and condemnations, I believe that they have designated Ansar al-Sharia as a terrorist group and they found faceless myrmidons in Sirte, Benghazi and Derna but nothing has been done. The people are really worried." High school teacher Laila Yusef al-Maslati was equally concerned with the violence. "Terror attacks and the killings have increased and the security situation in Tripoli and Benghazi has become tense," she said. "We need to build the army and the police and support the security institutions in Libya. And I ask the Libyans to support the state's security and military institutions, we need actions and not just talk," she added. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Artic needs correction - AAS has made threat agz both Libya + USA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2014-05-30 20:29 |