Libya Forces Prepare for Sweep of Pro-Gadhafi Town

Shaaban's death stoked tensions between Misrata and Bani Walid

Πηγή: abc NEWS
By AP
Oct 2 2012

Libyan militias operating alongside the defense ministry readied their forces Tuesday to advance on a town that remains a bastion of support for the ousted regime of Moammar Gadhafi, stoking fears of an impending battle that has already sent dozens of families fleeing.

Bani Walid is one of the last major pockets of support for the former regime, and disarming its militants is one of the most daunting tasks facing the government. Militias in the town of about 100,000 people are heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades, automatic weapons and artillery left over from last year's eight-month civil war.

During the war, many blamed the town's fighters for the worst of the sniper attacks, shelling, rape and other violence during the bloody siege of the coastal city of Misrata. Calls for revenge again peaked after the death last week of a well-known 22-year-old former rebel fighter after ill treatment at the hands of militiamen from Bani Walid.

Omran Shaaban had been hailed as the first fighter to find Gadhafi hiding in a drainage ditch last October, leading to the dictator's capture and killing. Seen as a hero to many, Shaaban's death raised the prospect of more score-settling. The same day of his death, the newly elected National Congress authorized the police and army to use force if necessary to apprehend those who abducted Shaaban and three of his companions in July near Bani Walid.

The government had brokered Shaaban's release and he was transferred to a hospital in France where he died of his wounds. He had been paralyzed from the waist down and relatives say his chest had been slashed with razors during his 55 days in captivity.

At least four residents of Misrata are still being held by the town's militias, according to local activists.

Militia commander Faraj al-Swehli said dozens of families have fled Bani Walid in anticipation of an offensive. On Tuesday three fighters from Misrata were wounded in clashes during a surveillance operation near the town, according to witnesses.

Al-Swehli ordered his Tripoli-based militia, originally from Misrata, to join others who have surrounded parts of the town. They are operating together in a loose coalition of the country's largest militias known as Libya Shield, which is relied on by the defense ministry. Shaaban was a part of the group before his death.

The government has given Bani Walid's leaders until this coming Friday to handover suspects linked to the torture of Shaaban.

Libya Shield fighters put out a statement Tuesday saying they will not enter Bani Walid without orders from the military chief of staff Gen. Youssef Mangoush. However, even without government orders the militias began surrounding parts of the town last week.

The Libyan government remains weak and has been unable to rein in armed militias in a country awash with weapons. Earlier this month, a demonstration at the U.S. Consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi turned violent, killing four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador.

Misrata activist Ahmed al-Madany said he heard the local Bani Walid radio station say that its fighters will defend the town to the last man.

"I doubt they will turn the suspects in," he said.

A resident inside Bani Walid, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, said militias inside have set-up checkpoints to secure the area.

Death of Libyan rebel raises calls for vengeance

In this undated handout photo released by the family of Omran Shaaban, Shaaban receives treatment from a doctor at a hospital in France. 

Πηγή: AP

By AYA BATRAWY
Sept 26 2012

MISRATA, Libya — One of the young Libyan rebels credited with capturing Moammar Gadhafi in a drainage ditch nearly a year ago died Tuesday of injuries after being kidnapped, beaten and slashed by the late dictator's supporters — the latest victim of persistent violence and instability in the North African country.

The death of Omran Shaaban, who had been hospitalized in France, raised the prospect of even more violence and score-settling, with the newly elected National Congress authorizing police and the army to use force if necessary to apprehend those who abducted the 22-year-old and three companions in July near the town of Bani Walid.

Libya is battling lingering pockets of support for the old regime, and its government has been unable to rein in armed militias in a country rife with weapons. Earlier this month, a demonstration at the U.S. Consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi turned violent, killing four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador.

Shaaban was praised as a "dutiful martyr" by the National Congress, although his family says he never received a promised reward of 1 million Libyan dinars ($800,000) for capturing Gadhafi on Oct. 20, 2011, in the former leader's hometown of Sirte. The eccentric dictator was killed later that day by revolutionary fighters.

The Libyan government said it would honor Shaaban with a funeral befitting a hero. His body was greeted at the airport in his hometown of Misrata by more than 10,000 people for a procession to a soccer stadium for funeral prayers.

Photos on social media websites showed a wooden coffin with a glass window that revealed Shaaban's face, with white gauze covering his head.

In the capital of Tripoli, several hundred protesters gathered outside the headquarters of the National Congress to demand that the government avenge Shaaban's death.

Shaaban's family said that he and three friends had been en route home to the western city of Misrata from a vacation in July when they were attacked by gunmen in an area called el-Shimekh near Bani Walid.

Shaaban and his friends, who like many Libyans were armed, fired back, the family said.

Two bullets hit Shaaban, and he was paralyzed from the waist down, his relatives said. The men were captured by militiamen from Bani Walid, a town of about 100,000 people that remains a stronghold of Gadhafi loyalists and is isolated from the rest of Libya.

President Mohammed el-Megarif visited Bani Walid this month and secured the release of Shaaban and two of his companions. A fourth is still being held.

When Shaaban was finally brought home, he was "skin and bones" — still paralyzed, frail and slipping in and out of consciousness, according to his brother, Abdullah Shaaban.

"It was clear he was beaten a lot," Abdullah Shaaban said. "His entire chest was sliced with razors. His face had changed. It wasn't my brother that I knew."

Omran Shaaban later was flown to France for medical treatment.

Shaaban, the second youngest in a family of nine children, was a member of Libya Shield, a loose coalition of the country's largest militias relied on by the Defense Ministry.

Khalifa al-Zawawi, the former head of Misrata's local council, said the government reneged on paying the reward to Shaaban.

Abdullah Shaaban said his brother did not mind, saying he considered capturing Gadhafi to be his national duty.

Libya's president released a statement Tuesday vowing that those responsible for the violence against Omran Shaaban would be punished.

But apprehending and disarming the militants in Bani Walid are among the most daunting tasks facing the government. The town is heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades, automatic weapons and artillery left over from last year's civil war.

Residents of Bani Walid say that pictures of Gadhafi are displayed during weddings and youths play his speeches on their cars' stereos. Students refrain from singing Libya's new national anthem and teachers refuse to follow the revised curriculum.

Bani Walid fighters were blamed for many of the sniper attacks, shelling, rapes and other violence against the city of Misrata during the civil war, and there were new calls Tuesday from residents of Misrata for vengeance against Bani Walid.

Shaaban's eldest brother, Walid, insists there will be justice for the family, regardless of whether the government is the one to administer it.

"I plan to pursue his rights legally and join if there is a military incursion. We are going to death, God willing," Walid Shaaban said.

Family friend Abu-Shaala echoed that sentiment.

"If the government does not go in, we are going in," he said. "We are all patient. But our patience has limits."