By Saber Ayyub.
Tripoli, 11 January 2016:
In the strongest statement to date of its support for the Libyan National Army (LNA) and . . .[restrict]its fight against militants in Benghazi, the Presidency Council headed by prime minister-designate Faiez Serraj has described recent attacks in Benghazi as being carried out by “terrorists”.
It declared its complete support for the LNA.
In a press statement, released this afternoon, the council condemned strongly the recent attacks in Benghazi which targeted Benghazi North Power Station (the main source of electricity for not just the city but much of the wider area), the camp for displaced Tawerghans and the a local factory. It described them as failed attempts by the so-called Islamic State and “dark powers” to bring the city to its knees.
Praising what it described as the sacrifices of LNA soldiers, it promised that it would ensure that the army would be provided with the utmost support once the UN Security Council lifted the ban on arms.
The blanket description of various different Islamist organisations, such as the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shoura Council (BRSC) and Ansar Al-Sharia as well as the so-called Islamic State as terrorists echoes that of General Khalifa Hafter and Operation Dignity, which have taken the same line.
Within the same context, Misratans advising members of the council, currently meeting in Tunis, have told the Libya Herald that it has been agreed by all council members to leave Hafter’s role aside until some point in the future. [/restrict]
