Libya: Islamic Extremist Militias Declare Control Of The Eastern City Of Benghazi

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By OMAR ALMOSMARI and MAGGIE MICHAEL | Associated Press | 19 minutes ago

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Islamic hard-line militias, including the group accused by the United States in a 2012 attack that killed the ambassador and three other Americans, claimed control of Libya's second largest city, Benghazi, after overrunning army barracks and seizing heavy weapons.

The sweep in the eastern city is part of a new backlash by hard-liners against their rivals ahead of the sitting of a new parliament. In the capital Tripoli, escalating battles Thursday between militias prompted multiple foreign governments to scramble to get out their citizens as thousands of Libyans fled across the border into Tunisia.

The weeks-long surge of violence renewed fears that Libya, which has been in chaos since the 2011 civil war that ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, is plunging deeper into civil strife.

With a crippled central government and weak army and police, the country's numerous rival militias have held sway in Libya for the past three years. Though they battled each other frequently, a balance of fear among them prevented any from going too far and forced them to divide areas of power. But now, there militias led by Islamist and extremist commanders appear to be trying to gain a more decisive upper hand.

Read more: http://www.newser.com/article/75d0f9c363c9430aa55af15b5b77e90b/libya-islamic-extremist-militias-declare-control-of-the-eastern-city-of-benghazi.html

[cosmicone]

1. John McCain's wet dream realized n/t

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. The Obama administration was in charge of US policy at the time. Hillary's triumph.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Another neocon success!

Soon everyone here who was all gung ho about this misadventure will deny ever having supported it.

[bemildred]

3. Another bright new democracy. nt

[jamzrockz]

4. The few non foreign

Syrian rebel should ask themselves if this is what they want for their country. At this point one has to wonder if these strings of foreign intervention failures is a mistake or the intended result.

[7962]

5. Another dictator gone, another train wreck

[quadrature]

7. lets hire these guys to be embassy security

what could possibly go wrong?

[JackRiddler]

8. Can you believe the people on DU who supported this war?

Wait, the U.S. had anything to do with creating this situation? No way, we're not blaming America for everything wrong in the world!

[Amonester]

9. So, they've got their own bundy bunch, only crazier...

Looks similar to that ISISL bunch too... Religious zealots with guns.

Speaking of that bundy bunch, are they still there? Any news? No cowards dare fix them?