By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 22 December 2013:
Libya today began three days of official mourning for the seven people murdered in the country’s . . .[restrict]first suicide bombing at Bersis, earlier today.
Declaring the mourning period, for what it described as “a cowardly act”, the prime minister’s office said that the 24 December celebrations of Independence Day on Tuesday would be postponed. Also put off has been the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the National Oil Company’s new Benghazi headquarters, an event of considerable significance for people living in the east of the country. No date new date was given for either event.
In a statement issued this morning, Ali Zeidan renewed his government’s determination to intensify all efforts and “stand as one in the face of such acts and those who are behind them”.
The government said that “this cowardly act” was an attempt to obstruct the strenuous efforts by the national military personnel and Saiqa Special Forces to maintain security and protect the civilians “especially in Benghazi”. To this end, the government said that it would provide the police and army with everything it needed to perform their duties. [/restrict]