Libyan Army Works to Contain Tension near Egyptian Border and Launches Air Strikes on Smuggling Gangs

The forces of the “interim” Libyan unity government headed by Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba continued to launch air strikes on sites west of the capital, Tripoli. It said it was for smuggling gangs, while Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Commander-in-Chief of the National Army stationed in the east of the country, sought to contain “sudden tension” on the common land border with Egypt.

The Al-Dabaiba government did not announce the details of the air strike that took place on Tuesday evening, but local media confirmed that “the drone strike took place at a location in Awlad Saqr Street, south of the city of Zawiya, in addition to another location in the Al-Shabika area in the city of Al-Ajailat, west of the capital, Tripoli.”

The media quoted a military source as saying, “13 locations of criminal smuggling gangs and drug dealers have been targeted in Al-Zawiya, Al-Ajeelat, and the ports of Al-Maya and Zuwara, so far, since the start of the operations.” These strikes came, while the president and members of the Supreme Military Court took the legal oath before Al-Dabaiba, as he is also the Minister of Defense in the government he heads.

The Presidential Council, in its capacity as the supreme commander of the Libyan army, chaired, on Tuesday evening, an emergency military meeting in the presence of al-Dabaiba and some of his military leaders. To discuss the recent military developments in the western region, strengthening security in Tripoli and the cities of the western coast, and mechanisms to confront outlaw groups in a way that supports and enhances stability.

In turn, Dabaiba said that during the meeting he presented a general position on the plan to fight criminals. He claimed again that “the targets were identified by the Presidency of the General Staff, and that all of them were sites for smuggling and drug dens.” He quoted those present as emphasizing “the need to continue business to achieve security and stability, and to organize work through the committee assigned by the Chief of Staff, to determine the locations,” pointing to “the continuation of cooperation with the Attorney General’s Office regarding the arrest of wanted persons in smuggling, drug and illegal immigration cases in all regions.” .

On the other hand, Khaled Al-Mishri, Head of the State Council, thanked the Presidential Council for assuming “leadership of the file on combating crime and smuggling, in coordination with the Chief of Staff and the Attorney General, for managing this file, and for stopping the attempt to employ him politically by the prime minister.” He reaffirmed his support for “striking all kinds of crime dens in the country.”

In turn, France said, through a statement of its embassy in Libya via Twitter, that it is “following with concern the situation in Zawiya, where the civilian population risks exposure to violence resulting from the clashes.” It called on the Libyan authorities to “prevent any escalation, and reminded of their responsibility to ensure the safety of the population,” and considered that the recent events in Zawiya are a reminder of the importance of uniting security and military institutions in order to provide security and stability for all Libyan people throughout the country.

Aqila Saleh, Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, took advantage of his meeting in the city of Al-Qubba with the UK Ambassador, Caroline Hurndall; To emphasize “the need for a unified government on all Libyan soil with specific tasks to organize elections.”

Saleh had called, during his meeting with Osama Hammad, the head of the parallel stability government and notables, elders and sheikhs of the city of Zintan, “to establish a mini-government whose only mission is to hold elections in the country,” pointing out the impossibility of holding them in the presence of two governments.

And after he considered that the House of Representatives “carried out all its duties related to the electoral process, issued electoral laws, and that the constitutional declaration remains the constitution and the legal support for all state institutions until the permanent constitution of the country is decided,” Saleh confirmed that the High Electoral Commission is legally empowered to announce its readiness to hold elections.

For his part, Abdullah Batili, head of the United Nations mission, considered that “the time has come for all political and security actors in Libya to show the necessary sense of leadership to overcome the intractable crisis, build bridges between the people of the same country, create an environment conducive to holding comprehensive and fair elections, and make the reconciliation process a success.” Nationalism and the unification of the country’s institutions ».

Batili said that during his meeting in Zintan with the president and members of its municipal council, and a number of notables in the region, he felt what he described as deep dissatisfaction with the continued marginalization and exclusion, the proliferation of weapons, the division of state institutions, and external interference. He stressed the need for all parties to engage in good faith in addressing controversial issues to put Libya on the road to recovery, noting that all Libyans must unite their word and heal the wounds of the past, in order to restore their national decision. During his meeting with Major General Osama Al-Juwaili, he stressed the urgent need to build confidence between the various parties in order to overcome the current divisions that threaten the unity of Libya and put the future of its people in the wind.

In addition, the Libyan authorities announced the arrest of two people accused of involvement in the killing of Muhammad, son of Abdullah Al-Senussi, son-in-law of the late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and former head of the intelligence service, whose body was found earlier in Sabha in the south of the country.

While local media said that “the body had traces of gunshot wounds in separate places.” Hassan Al-Naem, a spokesman for the Sebha Security Directorate, denied this account. On the other hand, he said, “Al-Senussi’s son was stabbed to death after a quarrel with a person over an amount of money,” noting that “two people who were present at the murder were seized, amid attempts to hand over the convicted person to the city police.” A security source said that preliminary investigations indicated that “the escaped person was the one who carried out the stabbing after a quarrel with the victim.”

On the other hand, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar began efforts to contain “tension” near the common land border with Egypt, as he instructed the movement of a joint force from the army and the Ministry of Interior to the city of Amsaed, after local media broadcast footage of dozens storming the border crossing fence.

The Army’s Media Division said (Wednesday) that “the military and security units that moved to provide support to the Security Directorates in Tobruk and Musaed to control and publicize security; They seized more than a thousand (illegal) immigrants of different nationalities in the farms and homes of smugglers in the city of Amsaed, and also found workshops for making wooden boats for the purpose of smuggling immigrants by sea. And she confirmed in a statement that “these operations are still continuing to seize smugglers and drug dealers in Mosaed.”