Officials in Derj kidnapped

Tripoli, 21 April:

An interior ministry official in Derj, located between Nalut and Ghadames, confirmed yesterday the kidnapping of the head of . . .[restrict]the local town council, Mahmoud Taher Busairi, along with the head of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in the area, Taher Nasser Busairi.

Derj’s interior ministry coordinator, Salahuddin Abdul-Adeem, is quoted claiming that one of Zintan’s brigades, that of the Martyr Salem Abdullah Bin-Kinah, was responsible for the two men’s disappearance following a raid on the town, some 400 kilometres from Zintan. The raid is said to have been in retaliation for Derj’s refusal to accept becoming part of Zintan district.

Pointing out that Derj was only some 100 kilometres from Ghadames and that it was within Ghadames district, Abdel-Adeem said that this was the second attack by Zintanis over the issue.

It is reported that the interior ministry is investigating the two men’s disappearance in order to take appropriate action. [/restrict]