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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 18 April 2018:
There has been a failed assassination attempt in Benghazi on the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Chief of Staff Abdul Razak Al-Nazhuri, LNA Spokesperson Ahmed Mesmari has reported.
In a tweet this afternoon Mesmari said ‘‘LNA Chief of Staff Gen. Abdulrazig Alnaduri survived an assassination attempt when a car bomb was left on the street and exploded when his motorcade passed near it. He was not hurt’’.
The incident comes with the backdrop of the attempted suppression of news regarding the illness of Khalifa Hafter.
It will be recalled that this is the very same official LNA Spokespeson who had reported on 10 April that ‘‘All news about General commander’s health are false. Marshal Hafter is in excellent health and he is following his daily general command duties and all op rooms specially Omar Moktar ops room‘’.
It was only four days later on 14 April that he admitted that Hfter was ill and being treated abroad when he tweeted ‘‘During a scheduled visit program to a number of countries, Marshal Hifter felt ill and visited a hospital in Paris for normal checkups. He will be back in Libya within few days to continue the fight against Terrorism’’.
Mesmari and the whole LNA media operation were widely ridiculed for attempting to suppress news about Hafter’s illness.
Hafter’s illness has led to much speculation about the seriousness of his illness and his ability to return to his position with full powers and influence. There has also been speculation about his possible replacement – with Nazhuri being one of the candidates.
Libyan and international media have failed to produce any fresh photo, voice or video clip of Hafter in Paris, Libya or anywhere else. And in view of all the potential instability his ill-health may cause to the Libyan political scene, Hafter has also pointedly failed to make a personal appearance over a week after rumours about his health started circulating.
