[img]http://imgkk.com/i/lc-q.jpg[/img]
[url]http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/28/us-libya-violence-idUSKBN0E81IC20140528[/url]
[quote]Libyan warplanes bombed militia bases in Benghazi on Wednesday as part of a renegade former general's campaign to purge the chaotic North African state of Islamist militants, witnesses and officials said.
Two jets attacked a base belonging to the February 17 brigade, one of the Islamist-leaning armed groups operating in Benghazi, and an Ansar al-Sharia militant base in the west of the city, a Reuters witness and an air force official said.
The attacks are part of a campaign by irregular forces loyal to former Libyan army general Khalifa Haftar who earlier this month launched operations against Islamist militants he says the weak central government has failed to control.
"Our forces are bombing the February 17 battalion base and Ansar al-Sharia base in Quarsha," Mohamed Hejazi, a spokesman for Haftar, told Reuters.[/quote]
Christ, what a mess Libya has become
So this guy is... a good guy? Attacking Islamist militias is a good thing right?
[editline]28th May 2014[/editline]
Tell me how to feel, Smurfy.
snip, nevermind
[QUOTE=OvB;44934778]So this guy is... a good guy? Attacking Islamist militias is a good thing right?
[editline]28th May 2014[/editline]
Tell me how to feel, Smurfy.[/QUOTE]
He was a former Ghadaffi General who was exiled for an embarrassing failure of a military campaign. He returned during the revolution and helped coordinate the rebels. He tried earlier this year to stage a coup, but literally nothing happened. Right now he's seeking legitimacy through electoral turnouts for a new government, but turn outs are very low because the population is skeptical. His coup is driving primarily against Islamic anti-democratic power base in the country's legislature, however western critics say this is just a bald power grab. In a lot of ways this parallels the recent events in Egypt, where the Army deposed the Pro-Islamic legislature, however they still hold a technocratic-dictatorial reign which is usually seen as the first steps toward a typical dictatorship.
He certainly is probably more west-friendly than an Islamofascist government would be, but Ghadaffi was more pro-western than the Islamic population in his regime would have been as well.
There are certainly people who support him, since there was a lot of concern by the technical minority, the non-Islamists, that the government was running away with Islam, however its difficult to gauge his real critics since there are reports of some 20,000 political prisoners being held by his army. There are also allegations that he is a CIA plant, since he worked with the CIA after being exiled and before returning.
I'm sure Smurfy has a more comprehensive report but this should do until then.
[QUOTE=OvB;44934778]So this guy is... a good guy? Attacking Islamist militias is a good thing right?
[editline]28th May 2014[/editline]
Tell me how to feel, Smurfy.[/QUOTE]
Continue to be confused and concerned
basically, you get to choose between either a mostly secular dictator or religious nutcases... like most nations in the middle east :suicide:
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