Category Archives: Libya

FBI director visits Libya amid Benghazi investigation

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

The Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Robert Mueller visited Libya on Thursday as U.S. investigators continued their inquiry into the September attack in Benghazi in which U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed. “The director’s visit was an opportunity to discuss ongoing cooperation on a number of issues,” said the FBI official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Mueller met with several senior Libyan officials, including Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, the justice minister and the intelligence chief, a Libyan government source said, adding that the meetings were secret. FBI agents went to Benghazi in October to analyze the crime scene but … Continue reading →

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Rebirth of the Middle East and North Africa

Posted on January 7, 2012 by

By Ruth Pollard Standing amid the violent chaos of Egypt’s Tahrir Square, as the tear-gas hung heavily in the air and badly injured protesters were rushed to makeshift field hospitals, it was easy to feel that the Arab Spring had veered way off script. Democracy, it seems, cannot deliver the Hollywood ending many have come to expect from such an extraordinary year. Twelve months ago, it was impossible to imagine an Egypt without Hosni Mubarak (30 years in power), a Libya without Muammar Gaddafi (42 years), a Tunisia without Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (23 years), or a Yemen without Ali Abdullah Saleh (33 years). Since then, we have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, Middle East, The World, Tunisia | 3 Comments

Libya’s new rulers offer weapons to Syrian rebels

Posted on November 26, 2011 by

By Ruth Sherlock, in Misurata Syrian rebels held secret talks with Libya’s new authorities on Friday, aiming to secure weapons and money for their insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, The Daily Telegraph has learned. At the meeting, which was held in Istanbul and included Turkish officials, the Syrians requested “assistance” from the Libyan representatives and were offered arms, and potentially volunteers. “There is something being planned to send weapons and even Libyan fighters to Syria,” said a Libyan source, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There is a military intervention on the way. Within a few weeks you will see.” The Telegraph has also learned that preliminary discussions about arms … Continue reading →

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Gaddafi loyalists in Tripoli firefight with the NTC

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

By Barry Malone Gun battles between supporters of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi and forces of the National Transitional Council (NTC) shook the Libyan capital on Friday, raising fears of an insurgency against the country’s new rulers. The clashes appeared to be isolated and involve only dozens of pro-Gaddafi fighters, but it was the first sign of armed resistance to the NTC in Tripoli since its rebel brigades seized the city and ended Gaddafi’s 42-year rule in August. Hundreds of NTC fighters in pick-up trucks shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) careered toward the Abu Salim neighbourhood, a repository of support for Gaddafi, and the two sides exchanged automatic and heavy … Continue reading →

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