Something new in Libya

[TimothyC]

Protesting Libyans overrun militant compound in backlash against armed groups

By NBC News staff and wire services

Hundreds of Libyan protesters stormed the compound of Ansar al Sharia in Benghazi Friday night, driving out its militant occupants and setting fire to the compound, in an unprecedented public backlash against armed groups that have run rampant in the country since the 2011 ouster of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

At least one person was killed and 20 wounded in the confrontation, a hospital source told Reuters on Saturday.

Ansar al Sharia is the militant al-Qaeda inspired group that some allege played a role in the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.

An estimated 30,000 Libyans marched to the group’s brigade compound earlier in the day in protest, chanting, "No to militias," the Associated Press reported.

The demonstrators demanded that militias in the country hand over their weapons to the fledgling post-Gadhafi government, and declared their solidarity with the United States in condemning terrorism.

Some carried signs reading "The ambassador was Libya's friend" and "Libya lost a friend," the AP reported.

Military helicopters and fighter jets flew overhead, and police mingled in the crowd, buoyed by the support of the protesters.

"I don't want to see armed men wearing Afghani-style clothes stopping me in the street to give me orders, I only want to see people in uniform," said Omar Mohammed, a university student who took part in the takeover told AP.

Armed men at the Ansar al-Shariah militia’s administrative center first fired in the air to disperse the crowd, but eventually fled with their weapons and vehicles.

At least one vehicle was set ablaze, The New York Times reported. Reuters reported that looters carried weapons out of the compound abandoned by the fighters.

The AP report said that Ansar al-Shariah supporters also showed up, and faced off with the crowd, waving black and white banners, but the confrontation was largely nonviolent.

A vehicle at the compound burned as the site was taken over by Libyan security forces after the compound’s occupants fled, the AP reported.

The Associated Press, Reuters and NBC News' Ayman Mohyeldin and Kari Huus contributed to this report.

Libyans storm militia bases in Benghazi
Fighters of Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia forced to evacuate base after mass public demonstration against armed groups.
Last Modified: 22 Sep 2012 03:46

Demonstrators in Libya have stormed the headquarters of the Islamist Ansar al-Sharia group and evicted its fighters from the site in a sweep of militia bases in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Friday's action against the group appeared to be part of a co-ordinated sweep of militia headquarters buildings by police, government troops and activists following a mass public demonstration against armed groups earlier in the day.

Chanting "Libya, Libya," hundreds of demonstrators entered the compound, pulling down militia flags and torching a vehicle inside the headquarters, Ansar al-Sharia's main base in Benghazi - once the base of forces of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The crowd waved swords and even a meat cleaver, crying "No more al-Qaeda!" and "The blood we shed for freedom shall not go in vain!"

They tore down the banner of group while chanting “no no to the brigades”.

Armed fighters made a stand at another heavily fortified compound in the eastern city, firing on demonstrators with heavy machine guns and wounding several people, protesters said.

Ansar al-Sharia has been linked to the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi last week in which the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans died. The group denies any involvement.

The group is also believed to be behind several attacks in recent months.

The raids led to one death and 20 injuries, according to the al-Hawari hospital.

"After what happened at the American consulate, the people of Benghazi had enough of the extremists," said Hassan Ahmed, a demonstrator.

"They did not give allegiance to the army. So the people broke in and they fled."

"This place is like the Bastille. This is where Gaddafi controlled Libya from, and then Ansar al-Sharia took it over. This is a turning point for the people of Benghazi."

Adusalam al-Tarhouni, a government worker who arrived with the first wave of protesters, said several pickup trucks with the group's fighters had initially confronted the protesters and opened fire. Two protesters were shot in the leg, he said.

"After that [the fighters] got into their trucks and drove away," he said. "When we got in, we found four prisoners in the compound and set them free."

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Benghazi, said: "We went there to see their slogans and basically what they're saying is that they refused insults to the Prophet but they also refuse terrorism in their city."

"They have also called for the disbanding of the militias, chanting: 'What are you waiting for?'. They're asking the government how long it will take before they do that."

The groups, cited as helping to topple the Gaddafi regime, have been accused of kidnappings and killings.

Rafallah Sehati

A standoff around the base of Rafallah Sehati, an official brigade of the ministry of defence, left 10 people wounded.

It was not immediately clear who had started the shooting.

Ismail Salabi, leader of the brigade credited with securing the nation for parliamentary elections, told Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid that his vehicle was shot at four kilometres from the base.

Salabi, speaking to our correspondent, described the attack as an "assassination attempt".

The chief of staff and defence minister both alluded to "Gaddafi loyalists" as being responsible for the raid.

The wounded, however, refute such allegations, saying instead that the government and its brigades responded in a violent manner reminiscent of the days of Gaddafi.

Protests against video

Also earlier on Friday, inside the square, which was a key battleground in the uprising that overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi last year, around 3,000 supporters of the ultraconservative Salafist group gathered.

Waving black Islamic flags, they chanted against a US-made video that mocked Islam and cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published by a French satirical weekly.

"Our demonstration is in support of the messenger of Allah and to condemn the abuse of Islam and Muslims carried out by any given country, chief among them France and the US," a group member told the AFP news agency.

"It wasn't enough for them to produce a film denigrating the Prophet in America, off goes France insisting on publishing cartoons in its newspaper that are offensive to our Prophet. We will never tolerate that."

But President Barack Obama insisted it should not be allowed to tar the reputation of all Libyans.

"I think it is important to understand that that's not representative of the attitudes of the Libyan people towards America," Obama said.

JFK once said "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. "

We have found our friends in Benghazi.

[K. A. Pital]

Uh... I'd really like to think of this as of a secular government putting an end to islamist militias in Libya, but the hard fact is, the government hardly controls most of the territory that's flooded with islamist militants. So this is a feud between a weak new 'transitional' government and some of the militias which fought on it's side, and I'd say this looks much more like post-Najibullah Afghanistan than anything good per se.

[kc8tbe]

I know very little about Libya, so my opinion may be ill-formed, but... this is very heartening to see. The Arab spring has seen many countries rise up against dictatorial governments, but this is one of the few times we've seen people rise up for democracy. Good on you, moderate Libyan people!

[General Zod]

I know very little about Libya, so my opinion may be ill-formed, but... this is very heartening to see. The Arab spring has seen many countries rise up against dictatorial governments, but this is one of the few times we've seen people rise up for democracy. Good on you, moderate Libyan people!

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Right now I think it's too premature to say whether this is a good thing or not.

[TimothyC]

Things are rolling:

22 September 2012 Last updated at 20:49 ET

Libyan militia in Derna 'to disband'

A powerful militia in eastern Libya has announced it will disband, hours after military police and protesters routed militias from the city of Benghazi.

Leaders of the Abu Slim Brigade said the group would dissolve and quit its bases in Derna, east of Benghazi.

Another militia group, Ansar al-Sharia, suspected of a deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, was also reported to be leaving Derna.

On Friday night protesters and police stormed Ansar al-Sharia's headquarters.

In scenes reminiscent of last year's uprising again Col Muammar Gaddafi, they ransacked the group's compound in Benghazi, setting light to buildings and vehicles.

There has been growing hostility towards Libya's Islamist armed groups since the 11 September attack on the US consulate that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others Americans.

Derna, a port city overlooking the Mediterranean, is regarded as an Islamist stronghold.

Libya's Lana news agency quoted commanders from the Abu Slim Brigade as saying they were dissolving the militia and pulling out of public buildings in Derna.

Abu Slim fighter Abu al-Shalali, 27, said there had been a brief confrontation at one camp between protesters and militiamen but eventually the fighters decided they could not use force against the crowd.

"We can't kill our brothers and our cousins," Mr Shalali said.

One of the protesters, linguistics professor Siraj Shennib, told Reuters that the groups had agreed to hand local security to the interior ministry and army.

"The militia in Derna saw what happened last night [in Benghazi] and they decided: we will not kill our brothers. So they disbanded," he said.

He added that anti-militia protesters had been maintaining a vigil against the groups in Derna for 10 days.

Residents blame the armed groups - a relic of the uprising against Col Gaddafi - for creating a climate of insecurity.

"The people started coming because it has reached the limit. They are saying: we've had enough," he said.

Ansar al-Sharia issued a statement on Saturday, saying it had evacuated its Benghazi bases "to preserve security in the city".

Benghazi deaths

On Friday, protesters also stormed the headquarters of the Sahaty Brigade in Benghazi, which is said to have government backing.

Fighters there opened fire and at least nine people were killed. One other person died in violence elsewhere in the city and scores were injured.

Senior Libyan officials say that while they welcomed the protests, people should differentiate between the rogue militias and honest rebel brigades that helped to secure the town in last year's fighting.

The attack on the US consulate was triggered by an amateur video made in the US which mocks Islam.

Protests against the film have been held across the Muslim world.

People seeing the writing on the wall?

[Alyrium Denryle]

I know very little about Libya, so my opinion may be ill-formed, but... this is very heartening to see. The Arab spring has seen many countries rise up against dictatorial governments, but this is one of the few times we've seen people rise up for democracy. Good on you, moderate Libyan people!

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Right now I think it's too premature to say whether this is a good thing or not.

Thirty thousand people said "fuck you" to violent militia groups, at least in part as a response to the attacks on our consulate. While the long-term future of the country is nebulous, this is a good sign.

Besides, it gives those of us who do not appreciate anti-muslim bigotry a nice big protest and militia purge to use whenever someone says "well where are the moderates protesting terror?"

[General Mung Beans]

Glad to see the Libyan people standing up against the militias. In addition to the myriad Islamophobes, let's hope this gets noted by those in Congress who want to cut off funding to Libya.

[wautd]

A good sign. Hopefully the rest of the terrorists get the message they're not wanted there.

[Pelranius]

The Salafists don't seem to understand the importance of civilian support when fighting an insurgency.

[montypython]

Salafists have generally emphasised theological "purity" over popular support, so it isn't too surprising to see stuff blow back in their faces.

[General Mung Beans]

Libyan governments orders dissolution of militias not under its control. Hope this goes well:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/world ... sband.html

Government Issues Order to Disband Libya Forces
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: September 23, 2012


CAIRO — Libya’s interim government on Sunday ordered the breakup of all militias that do not fall under its authority, and demanded that those militias pull out of military compounds and public property within 48 hours.

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The order came in response to an upwelling of public anger at the militias after an armed group assaulted a United States diplomatic mission in Benghazi earlier this month, killing Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Exasperated by the interim government’s failure to curb the militia brigades, thousands of civilians swarmed into the headquarters of several of them in Benghazi on Friday and forced their fighters to scatter — in effect, an angry mob demanding law and order.

Mohamed al-Magarief, the president of Libya’s national Congress and the interim head of state, apparently sought to both appease public anger and capitalize on it with the order to withdraw and disband. Previous interim leaders have issued similar calls before without success, in part because the Libyan government still depends on many of the self-organized militias to act as its military, police and national guard.

Hundreds of such armed groups were formed during and after the uprising against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, typically armed with Kalashnikov rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and truck-mounted artillery captured or looted from the colonel’s armories. Since his overthrow the groups have been both the main guardians of the social order in Libya and the chief menace to it.

As recently as Friday the Libyan Army’s chief of staff, Yousef al-Mangoush, urged protesters not to molest the many militias that were now officially authorized and ostensibly operating under the army’s direction, because the government still needed them to control the country.

But it can be difficult to tell which militias are authorized and which are not. The authorized militias usually still report to their original commanders, and those commanders may or may not follow orders from the Defense Ministry or act on their own. The fighters and their commanders may say sometimes that they are part of the Libyan government and other times that they are outside it.

On Friday, the mob in Benghazi first marched against the Islamist militia that is believed to have led the attack on the American mission, but that militia, known as Ansar al-Sharia and opposed to democracy, also proudly plays a role in local civic life by guarding a major hospital.

The mob’s next target was the Rafallah al-Sehati Brigade, which has Islamist ties but a more moderate and democratic character. That brigade is authorized, a mainstay of security in the area, and an ally of the militia that came to the defense of the American mission. Members of Rafallah al-Sehati stood with the army chief of staff at the Benghazi airport when he spoke in defense of the authorized militia. But the protesters attacked the brigade anyway, and at least four people were reportedly killed before its members fled.

Only a minority of the militias openly flout the government’s authority the way Ansar al-Sharia did, and the government’s order on Sunday applied only to the unauthorized groups. The Libyan state news agency said that the army would “use force to carry out these orders.” But it was unclear whether that referred to the use of a militia nominally under the Defense Ministry’s control or to some other new and more professional force.

Suliman Ali Zway contributed reporting from Cairo.