IS is reportedly also conducting large-scale kidnappings in the city, seizing all people accused of opposing the rule of the terrorists.
After Thursday's attack, the government of Tobruk once again held the United Nations Security Council responsible for the crimes committed by IS. The government, which is recognised by the international community, said that the UN should have lifted the arms embargo imposed on the Libyan army in 2011.
Violent clashes were also taking place in Benghazi, in the suburb of Sabry, between jihadist militants and troops led by General Khalifa Haftar, army chief of Tobruk. The general has the support of Egypt and a number of civilians. Local sources said the army was going to hit the area with air strikes to finally defeat the terrorists. Fighting was also reported from Derna. According to the spokesman of the General Staff of the Libyan government of Tobruk, Ahmed al Mesmary, the city will soon fall into the hands of the army led by Haftar. Interviewed by the Egyptian newspaper "al Ahram", the spokesman said Derna is under siege and will not hold out much longer. Many of the fighters have fled to Sirte and Benghazi by sea to escape the army. The spokesman added that the group that controls part of Derna, the Abu Salim brigades, see the military as infidels who deserve to be killed. But he did not expect that airstrikes would be carried out against the city for the moment: "We do not want to devastate the city as happened to Sabry and Benghazi. We left the matter to the residents of Derna who know the positions of the terrorists and their movements." The spokesman for General Haftar said that thanks to the cooperation of citizens, the military were able to penetrate into the city to gather information on the movements of the various commanders. (AGI)
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ANNO XVIII Aprile 2024. Direttore Umberto Calabrese
