By Ashraf Abdul Wahab.
Tripoli, 16 September:
The Surpreme Security . . .[restrict]Committee in Tripoli early yesterday morning, Saturday, attacked and disbanded one of the brigades in the capital, the Abu Miliana Martyrs’ Brigade. The move followed the arrest by the brigade’s commander, named as Muhammad Warfali, of two SSC members and his subsequent refusal to release them.
The head of Tripoli SSC, Hashem Bishr, mobilised security forces equipped with heavy arms, including anti-aircraft weapons, and surrounded the building in the Abu Mishmasha area, near Bab Al-Aziziya, where the brigade was based. Known as Mataba Thawriya and sometimes in English as “the wigwam” because of its distinctive architecture, it was one of Qaddafi’s Revolutionary Committees’ centres until last year.
In the fighting, the SSC seized the building, freeing the two SSC men and arresting a number of brigade members. They also captured and removed the brigade’s arsenal before starting to demolish the building.
It is not yet known whether anyone was killed or injured in the fighting.
Demolition later stopped although the street was closed for several hours. It stopped following complaints from the Ministry of Culture, which was handed ownership of the building after revolution, complained that it had not given permission for its destruction.
It now stands, a half demolished wreck. [/restrict]
