Islamist militia chief among 17 killed in Libya fighting

AFP | Oct 10, 2014, 


The times of india
BENGHAZI: An Islamist militia chief was among at least 17 people, mostly soldiers, killed this week in fighting over the airport in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, medical and military sources said on Thursday. 

The oil-rich North African nation has been in turmoil since an uprising toppled longtime leader Moamer Gaddafi three years ago, with interim authorities facing powerful militias that fought to oust him. 

Salim Nabbous, a commander of the Shura Revolutionary Council, was killed along with two of his comrades on Wednesday in clashes at the airport, a hospital source in Benghazi said. 

His group, an alliance of Islamist militias, has been trying to wrest control of the airport from former general Khalifa Haftar, who launched a campaign against them in May. 

And a spokesman for army special forces loyal to Haftar said 14 of them had been killed over the past three days. 

Meanwhile, an AFP correspondent said several warplanes and military helicopters were flying over the city today and that anti-aircraft fire could be heard in some neighbourhoods. 

Since the beginning of September, the Islamists have been trying to capture the airport, with its military and civilian airfields, from the special forces. 

They clash almost daily clashes with Haftar's forces, for whom the airport is a final redoubt in a city almost completely dominated by the Islamists. 

On October 2, at least 36 soldiers were killed and more than 100 wounded by car bombs and clashes in what was the worst day of violence since Haftar announced his campaign to eradicate the Islamists. 

The cradle of the uprising against Gaddafi, Benghazi is the regular scene not only of fighting but also the murders of members of the security forces, political activists and journalists. 

The Shura Revolutionary Council includes Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia, which Washington has branded as a terrorist organisation. 

Last week, the UN Security Council warned of possible sanctions against those who reject peace in Libya. 

The move is apparently aimed at shoring up UN-brokered talks on ending the violence.