Tuesday 3 January 2012

Libyan gun battle erupts in Tripoli

Will 2012 Bring Tribal War to Libya? asked Franklin Lamb in his last Saturdays report from Libya puplished here and in Al-manar. "The Tribes are arming and have given the new government several deadlines for committing to rebuild destroyed homes and businesses, helping homeless families, and getting the guns off the streets and sending the armed gangs back to where they came from. To date nothing has been achieved by the new government and people are growing very angry.”" he wrote.

"This observer has been advised both in neighboring countries and inside Libya by Tribal officials that war in coming maybe as soon as March 1. “Our history, our culture, our dignity, is at stake. It is the responsibility of the Tribes to cleanse the country of these outlaws just as we did against the Italian colonizers....During a meeting in a nearby country one Gadhafi loyalist explained:
In his report Mr. Lamb noted that the “new free Libya, new free media” is that it is 100 percent pro “new government”. According to a western ambassador who have returned to his post here, the new media sprang from the myriad militia and they simply have a psychological issue with criticizing any of the obvious problems which seem to be swelling by the day. Ahmad agrees. “They were so involved with NATO and its rebels that they do not want to admit that they were wrong in many ways so they ignore what is really happening in front of their eyes”.

Libyan gun battle erupts in Tripoli
Published Tuesday, January 3, 2012

A gun battle erupted in central Tripoli on Tuesday between unidentified groups, trading anti-aircraft and heavy machine-gun fire, an AFP reporter said.

The fighting broke out at the former regime's intelligence headquarters, which was surrounded by rebel fighters.

There was no immediate clarity on the identities of the combatants, and no casualties have yet to be reported.

Former rebels who remain organized in militia brigades are visible in many parts of the Libyan capital, and some have taken control of former government buildings, using them as headquarters.
Some witnesses near the scene said that forces from the new government's interior ministry tried on Tuesday to retake the intelligence building, provoking a clash with the militia group that is currently occupying it.

While those reports could not be independently verified, the interior ministry declined to comment when contacted by AFP, saying only that it would comment on the clashes in the coming hours.
AFP sources said militiamen had blocked traffic from reaching the building, even as two ambulances tried to access the area of unrest, with witnesses reporting a number of injuries.
Many gunmen could also be seen circulating in the area and the situation remained chaotic, according to AFP reporters on the scene.

Libya still suffers from weapons proliferation in the country, undermining the nation's security four months after Gaddafi was ousted.

Army defectors and tribes took up arms against Gaddafi after the dictator launched a deadly crackdown on Arab Spring protesters demanding an end to his rule.

The uprising turned into an armed insurrection backed by NATO, leaving the country ridden with armed militias still in possession of heavy artillery after Gaddafi's fall.
(AFP, Al-Akhbar)


“We know which tribes worked with NATO and sold out their birthrights. Some did the same thing with the Italians and over the years with foreign oil companies.
We will fight to restore a path for the Libyan people knowing that mistakes were made by the Gadhafi regime but also that his support today ranges from 90% in Wafala Tribe areas like Bani Walid to close to 60% in Tripoli.
He is not coming back but many of his good policies will return ehshallah.”” he added"
A gun battle erupted in central Tripoli on Tuesday between unidentified groups, trading anti-aircraft and heavy machine-gun fire, an AFP reporter said. 'the interior ministry declined to comment when contacted by AFP, saying only that it would comment on the clashes in the coming hours."

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