By Saber Ayyub.
Tripoli, 1 May 2016:
A Libyan army colonel was murdered yesterday afternoon by unknown armed group near his home in . . .[restrict]Tarhouna, 85 kilometres south east of Tripoli.
The family of Colonel Abdullah Sweissi have accused the local Kani brigade of being responsible for his killing, saying that it had verbally threated him a few days ago after he refused its demand to work with it. The family said that the reason for the demand was that the hardline Islamist militia wanted to use him as a façade to gain the government authorisation.
Sweissi was reported to have been appointed by the Presidency Council as head of the security team to protect the Defense Ministry buildings in Tripoli.
He was the commander of the Libyan army’s 174 Brigade. He was a co-founder with Colonel Abu-Ajilah Habshi of the Al-Awfia military brigade which fought against Qaddafi in the revolution.
Al-Habshi disappeared in June 2012 and the GNC member for Tarhuna Ali Saadi, who is reputedly involved with the Kani Brigade and formerly a member in the Libyan Fighting Group, was accused of being behind his disappearance. The same Kani militia attacked the Habshi home in Tarhuna in March 2015, killing his son and brother. His daughter died later from her injuries. His wife, also seriously injured, survived. [/restrict]
