By Aiman Amzein.
Benghazi, 11 November 2015:
Violent clashes between Libya army forces and militants continued overnight and throughout the day in Benghazi’s . . .[restrict]Leithi, Garyunis and city centre districts with, once again, randomly fired missiles smashing into residential areas.
In Leithi one house was hit, bringing down the roof and killing a man and wounding two others. It is not known which side of the fight was responsible. In nearby Hay Dolar, which is this evening was under curfew with no one allowed in or out, three other civilians – two men and a women – were also injured when a shell landed on their home. According to Jalaa Hospital, one of the two men is in a critical condition.
In another development, an official at the hospital has told the Libya Herald that ten soldiers were killed in yesterday’s fighting which resulted in the Saiqa brigade recapturing three former air force bases, two in Sidi Faraj and one in Buatni.
There has been no confirmation of the figure from military sources.
They are suggesting, however, that the army has made significant gains in in Benghazi this week – a claim been heard many times before.
It is also noticeable that there has been a significant increase in checkpoints in streets, stopping and searching vehicles, although they are being manned by the police not the military.
Meanwhile, photos have emerged purporting to show food being packaged in Misrata for delivery to Islamist militants fighting in places such as Sabri and Sidi Khrebish. It is not known if the pictures are genuine or when they were taken, although there are suggestions that they were made in the summer.
There are suggestions that they are now being circulated to discredit Misrata when the international community is pushing for the proposed Government of National Accord (GNA) to be accepted – a government which the east of the country largely opposes, claiming it is Misrata-dominated.
In fact there has been plenty of anecdotal evidence that, despite the efforts by mainstream leaders in Misrata to reach out to the east of the country and find a solution to the current crisis, elements in the city have over the past year continued to send men, ammunition and supplies to Islamists in the Benghazi and received from it those wounded there, sending them on to Turkey for treatment. [/restrict]
