Gadhafi supporters seize major town in Libya as domestic violence continues

Loyalists of the late dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi have seized control of a Libyan town and raised the ousted regime’s green flag, an official and commander said Tuesday. The retaking of Bani Walid comes as Libya’s new leaders
have struggled to unify the oil-rich North African nation three months after Gadhafi was captured and killed.

Hundreds of well-equipped and highly trained remnants of Gadhafi‘s forces raised the green flag over buildings in the western city late Monday after hours of clashes, said Mubarak al-Fatamni, the head of Bani Walid local council.

Mr. al-Fatamni, who fled to the nearby city of Misrata following the attack, said four revolutionary fighters were killed and 25 others were wounded. He said the Libyan Defense Ministry has not sent any forces to the area. A top
commander of a revolutionary brigade in Bani Walid, Ali al-Fatamni, who was present in Benghazi during the attack, says he has lost contact with other fighters in the town.

The bold attacks, which have led authorities to declare states of emergency in several areas, are the latest breakdown in security. Protests have surged in recent weeks, with people demanding that the interim leaders deliver on
promises of transparency and compensation for those injured in the fighting.

Bani Walid, 90 miles southeast of Tripoli, was one of the last Gadhafi strongholds to fall to revolutionary forces amid a monthslong civil war. Gadhafi‘s son and longtime heir apparent, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, long was believed
to have been hiding in the town.

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Posted by Hamza Jahangir on Jan 25 2012. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry