Tripoli, 28 May 2014:
The Commander of Ansar Al-Sharia in Benghazi has denounced the military operation by forces loyal to General Khalifa . . .[restrict]Hifter, calling it a “crusade” against Islam.
Speaking at a press conference held at a secret location last night in Benghazi, Mohammed Al-Zahawi claimed that the leader of Operation Dignity was backed the US and allies in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. He said the same fate awaited Hifter as had befallen Qaddafi.
Zahawi warned the US against intervention. He said that any military incursion by the western power would result in defeats worse than those he said it had faced in Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia.
Describing recent fighting in Benghazi as a victory for Ansar Al-Sharia, Zahawi said: “We thank God that we were able to defeat Hifter and we challenge him to attempt entering Benghazi again. We warn him that if he continues this war against us, Muslims from across the world will come to fight, as is the case in Syria right now.”
He added that the war would continue and that Ansar Al-Sharia would decide when it ended.
Members of Ansar Al-Sharia have been implicated by America in the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, during which ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. [/restrict]
