The Warfalla Tribe Are Leading The Revolt Against NATO’s Occupation Forces

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As Ali Alkasa stated today, the Warfalla tribe are leading the revolt against occupation forces in Libya. The consequence is that a genocide is taking place in Bani Walid. This is not about the death of Omran Shaban. Bani Walid have refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the present government and have never ceased in their active resistance since the NATO onslaught on Libya began. Their city had never “fallen”.

NATO’s client regime realize it will never secure full power over Libya’s resources if they cannot smash the Resistance. The militias and gangs provide a convenient cover for regime atrocities. Crimes are attributed to “out of control militias”, when in fact, these militias follow NATO and GNC orders.

The NATO-based spin states that the militias (NATO’s mercenaries) challenged the GNC to take control of Bani Walid if they could. In response the GNC issued a decree, Resolution (Article) 7, which grants the newly formed “army” exceptional powers to use all and any means necessary to take full control of the city. In essence, this is a declaration of war against Bani Walid and the Warfalla tribe. As dissenting members of the GNC have pointed out, the decree provides carte blanche for genocide. The elders in Bani Walid claim, and rightfully so, that the decree is illegitimate and unconstitutional.

Misrata has a long history of conflict with the Warfalla tribe, yet this is not what motivates the present assault on Bani Walid.

Everything is NATO and the GNC’s attempt to eliminate all opposition to occupation forces and the rape of the country’s natural resources.

People who have known freedom and have “decolonized minds” cannot accept the yoke of colonialism.

Libya is not Iraq or Afghanistan.

NATO still can be defeated in Libya.

The following are updates on Bani Walid gathered from The Libyan Popular National Movement, Great Werfalla and The Political And Media Center – Bani Walid.

These reports are in their own words. Please use a translator.

Alexandra Valiente
Libya 360°

  • Statement Of The Tribes In Solidarity With Bani Walid
  • مدينة بني وليد مازالت تخضع للحصار مندُ 17 يوما .
  • تعرض منازل ومزارع بني وليد لقصف عشوائي أدى الى وقوع أضرار مادية و إحداث حالة من الهلع بين السكان
  • المرصد الليبي لحقوق الانسان يتوجه بطلب عاجل لمجلس الامن لعقد جلسة طارئة لحماية المدنيين … نطالب وعلى الفور بمنطقة عازلة …
  • اليوم ومنذ الصباح الباكر تهاطلت على سكان مدينة بني وليد صواريخ وراجمات ومدفعيات المليشيات الإرهابية المسلحة …وكما عودتنا منذ الأيام الأولى لقصف المدينة اليوم كذلك ترسل إلينا الغازات السامة المحرمة دوليا على أطفال ونساء المدينة دون أي إلتف
    ات من المجتمع الدولي والمنظمات الحقوقية لهذه الكارثة الإنسانية التي تسبب فيها هؤلاء .
    هاهم اليوم كما يدعون أنهم دخلوا لمدينة بني وليد ويتجولون في أزقتها ولا نكذبهم هذا صحيح بل هذا مؤكد …ولكن !!
    هذا جاء بعد إذن من مجاهدي المدينة من شبابها وشيبها الذين نصبوا لهم الكمين الذي لم يخرج منه أحداً سالما منهم وتكبدوا خسائر في الأرواح والمعدات العسكرية .
    وهذا إن دل إنما يدل على ان معركة بني وليد هو قتال بين مليشيات مسلحة وبين سكان المدينة الذي يتسابقون لنيل الشهادة في سبيل الله ” من مات دون عرضه وماله فهو شهيد ” . فمن هو الرابح ياترى ؟! …….وأين هي الشرعية ؟!
  • عاجل:::
    وجود ثلاث حالات اختناق وضيق تنفس داخل مستشفى بني وليد
  • بني وليد اليوم تزف شهدائها السبع الذين دافعوا عن أرضها وعرض وشرف أهلها لجنة الخلد بإذن الله وذلك في ساحة مسجد المجاهد عبدالنبي بلخير بوسط المدينة .
    سيسطر التاريخ ذلك في صفحاته التي تكتب هذه الأيام بالدماء الطاهرة من شباب ومجاهدي بني وليد .
    أسماء الشهداء الذي تم زفهم لجنات الخلد إن شاء الله هم :
    1-احمد عمر بن زايد
    2-سامي مسعود الجديد
    -3-محمد موسى الفقهي
    4-علي جمعة غيث
    5-بوعجيلة أمحمد الدعيكي
    6-محمد الفيتوري الموقشي
    7- الفرجاني مفتاح الفرجاني بن دلة
    Mourning The Martyrs Of Bani Walid

  • Elders camped in front of the headquarters of the GNC to condemn the genocide in Bani Walid
    حكماء ليبيا يعتصمون أمام مقر المؤتمر الوطني العام تنديداً بالإبادة التي تمارسها عصابات مصراتة و أزلامها‬
  • تنفيذا لسياسة الإقصاء والعقاب الجماعي وبعد كلمته على قناة العربية ، الأخ فتح الله السنوسي الجدي سكرتير أول البعثة الليبية للأمم المتحدة يتم فصله من منصبه …ليس لسبب ..فقط لأنه قال الحق ؟! ………عجبي على هكذا أفعال ؟
    ‬
    Minister Dismissed From His Post Following Al-Arabiya Interview Where He Described Events In Bani Walid As Genocide
    لبعثة الليبية في الامم المتحدة بني وليد تتعرض لابادة
  • الحوار السياسي الليبي ::: ديمقراطية
    لم يكد يكمل السكرتير الاول لبعثة ليبيا مداخلته على قناة العربية حول الابادة التي تتعرض لها بني وليد حتى وصله قرار فصله من البعثة مباشرة.
    البعثة الليبية في الامم المتحدة : ما يحدث في بني وليد هي جرائم حرب
  • جرس الخطر, العدو ليس بن وليد ….العدو التنظيمات الاسلاميه المتطرفه…….بقلم…ولد الخيمه
    ليكن صوتنا عاليا مخاطبا العالم………..لودخلت العصابات الظلاميه من انصار الشريعه وتنظيم القاعده بن وليد ,للاحتماء بتطاريسها الصعبه والتى جعلتها عصيه على الايطاليين مند بدايه القرن الماضى عندما لم يكن السلاح متوفر بيد المجاهدين, فما بالك اليوم وهذه التنظيمات تمتلك ترسانه من الاسلحه كانت بمخازن الجيش الليبى ولديها دعم مالى وبالاسلحه من قبل بعض من من مصلحته سيطرة هذه التنظيمات مثل قطر….ان اندفاع واستماته المليشيات الظلاميه فى دخول بن وليد ليس له مايبرره الا الرغبه المحمومه لهذه التنظيمات فى اللجؤ الى جبال بن وليد لتأسيس معسكراتهم مثلما فعلوا فى الشرق, وحتى يستعصوا عن اى ضربات تستهدفهم,وقد حذرت اكثر من مرة من خطوره ذلك على الامن والسلم فى ليبيا والمنطقه, استفقيقوا ايها الليبيون وانظروا ماحدث فى درنه والجبل الاخضر,السيطرة الكامله لهذه التنظيمات بدون ان تعوا ان الخطر كبير على آمن ليبيا وآمان مواطنيها,,,,,,ان سيطرة هذه التنظيمات على مقاليد البلاد جعلتهم يست
    سصدرون القرار رقم 7 بسرعه وبدون اكتمال النصاب القانون لمثل هذه الامور المصيريه,اى اعلان حرب على قبيله وتفويض المليشيات المسلحه لقبيله اخرى لتنفيد القرار,وعدم قدرة الموتمر الوطنى الغاء هذا القرار رغم معرفتهم انه ليس قانونى لان هذه التنظيمات هى السلطات العليا التى لاراد لارادتها ,انقدوا بن وليد لان فى ذلك انقاد لدولتكم ولأمنكم وآمنكم, الدول العظمى لن تسمح بوجود هذه التنظيمات فى ليبيا لانها تشكل خطر على اوروبا,وهى الان تعد العدة للتذخل فى مالى للقضاء على هذه التنظيمات فهل ليبيا اسثتناء, ان الخطر قادم من وراء البحار وليس من بن وليد,ان الهدف من السماح للقاعدة والتنظيمات المسلحه للدخول فى الحرب ضد القذافى,,, كانت بذلك دول الغرب تضرب عصفورين بحجر واحد تقضى على عدوها اللدود معمر القذافى وتسمح للتنظيمات الاسلاميه بالتجمع فى ليبيا حتى يسهل القضاء عليها ولبيبا اسهل من افغانستان ولن تكلفهم الكثير من العدة والعتاد والارواح لان فى ليبيا سيقاتلون هذه التنظيمات كبدايه بالليبيين انفسهم ثم يتذخلون هم بدعوى خطورة هذه التنظيمات على أمن وسلامه الشاطئ المقابل لليبيا ,وماسيحدث فى مالى الايام القادمه عضه وعبرة
  • حى على الجهاد,بن وليد تناديكم … بقلم ولد الخيمه…
    تتعرض بن وليد لهجمه شرسه قاسيه بعد حصار طويل واستنزاف لقدراتها, تتعرض لهجوم من جميع المحاور من قبل عصابات الظلام والبشمرقا, ولصوص التمشيط والنهب. لتركيعها وكسر شوكتها, والقضاء عن الاحرا
    ر فيها,,,,بن وليد يسطرون المجد بحروف من دم, بن وليد الصامده من اجل الكرامه والعزة والوطن, تقاتل وتقدم ابنائها من اجل الحريه من اجل الشرف,بن وليد تتعرض لهجوم تستعمل فيه العصابات التركيه والبشمرقا اعتى تراسانه عسكريه و تستعمل جميع الاسلحه المحرمه دوليا, بن وليد تقاتل وحدها وتضرب وتقصف بالغازات السامه, فأين انتم من اخوتكم, اين انتم من نجدتهم,
    ايها الاحرار فى ليبيا المغتصبه, ايها الشرفاء فى الوطن المرتهن, ايها المقاتلون من اجل الحريه, اليوم يومكم, اليوم يوم الامجاد, لاتتركوا اخوانكم يقاتلون لوحدهم رابش الارض , يقاتلون عصابات الظلم اجتمعت عليهم من انحاء المعمورة,ايها الليبيون لاتتركوا اخوتكم يقاتلوم لوحدهم, لانكم ستكونون لقمه سائغه فى ايدى العصابات الاجراميه, من تغدى بأخيك تعشى بك.ستكونون فى لائحتهم للقضاء عليكم بعد بن وليد ستكون المشاشيه والنوايل وبراك الشاطئ, سيجعلون منكم تورغاء جديده, ايها الاحرار الشرفاء, اليوم يوم الحريه والكرامه, اليوم يوم الشرف, وللحريه الحمراء باب بكل يد مضرجه يدق, ماذا تنتظرون, لتكن الانتفاضه الكبرى من الشرق الى الغرب من الشمال الى الجنوب,ليكن البركان ليكن الطوفان, من اجل حاضركم ومن اجل مستقبلكم,ومن اجل اجدادكم الذين سطروا ملاحم المجد. اليوم يوم الثأر ومسح العار, الوطن يناديكم, اخوتكم ينادونكم, حى على الجهاد حى على الحريه والشرف,انتفضوا ايها الاحرار وافتحوا الجبهات فى كل مكان فعدوكم قد جمع لكم لتخشوهم, ولكن الاحرار يخشون الله ليزيدهم ايمانا, هبوا وتحركوا وليكن اليوم يوم العزة والكرمه التى اهينت على يد الخونه والعملاء, هبوا وانتفضوا من اجل ابنائكم فى المعتقلات, من اجل المشردين فى الداخل والخارج, ايها الاحرار اليوم له ما بعده, ان خوفكم واستكانتكم تعنى العبوديه الى النهايه, وانتفاضتكم تعنى الحريه والكرامه والشرف, كتاب التاريخ مفتوح لتكتبوا اروع الملاحم , ملاحم المجد والكبرياء, ان فتحكم لجبهات اخرى تشتيت لقوة العدو وتقضى على جمعه لبن وليد, حطموهم بثورتكم ثورة الحق ثورة العزة والحريه, لاتسكتوا وتتفرقوا فتذهب ريحكم. وتستعبدو الى الابد, ان فى انتفاضتكم تخفيف على جبهه بن وليد, واخوتكم بصمودهم ودفاعهم عن انفسهم, انما يدافعون عنكم, فلاتتخلوا عنهم فتتخلوا على انفسكم,ايها الاحرار قد نادى المنادى حى على الجهاد, حى على الحريه حى على الكرامه,,,,,,ليكن اليوم يوم استرداد الحريه والشرف والكرامه, لنجعلها نارا عليها, لنجعلها جحيم لهم , هذه الارض الطيبه ترفض العار ترفض الشنار, هذه ارض المجاهدين ارض الاحرار, ارض شهداء العدوان الذى جلبته عصابات الخيانه, شهداء الناتو يستغثون بكم. دماء الشهداء تستنهضكم, حى على الجهاد, حى على الثأر لدمائنا الزكيه, الوطن يناديكم, فهل من مجيب, الوطن يصرخ فهل من مغيث,,,,,لتنطلق الرصاصه الاولى فى كل مكان, لابد لنا من القتال حتى نحى فى ارضنا, فوقها وتحت شمسها بكرامه لابد لنا من القتال لنحرر الوطن الذى باعه الخونه والعملاء, لابد لنا من القتال حتى ترجع تورغاء والمشاشيه والقواليش وغيرهم من المهجرين الى ارضهم وبيوتهم,لتكن هذه النهايه لسنتين من الظلم والغبن والقهر,سنتين من ارتهان الوطن للغريب, ونهب خيراته وثرواته, لتكن النهايه بيد الاحرار يسطرونها بالدم والنار, لنجثتوا العماله والخيانه وتدنيس الارض منهم…….ايها الاحرار الوطن ينادى اخوتكم فى بن وليد ينادوا…..حلى على الجهاد حى على الجهاد.
  • بيان لواء شهداء دينار التابع لجيش برقة
  • ‫عدنا..
    بعد يوم طويل من القتال الشرس نعود اليكم…
    بني وليد لم تدنس بعد بفضل الله.. دخلت كتيبة العلوج من محور المردوم و وصلت حي “الزعرة” “ضواحي بني وليد” وكان طاجين الكمين جاهز.. عدد قتلاهم كثير جدا واتصلوا بالهلال الاحمر ليتوسط لاخراج جتث علوجهم ولكن لم يسمح له بسبب شراسة المعارك..
    هم الان خارج المدينة.. ويعدون لهمجة رابعة مكررة ولكن نحن وكالعادة لهم بالمرصاد.. ارضنا ولن نخرج منها وسلاحنا هو الايمان بالله ثم بالقضية.. وسنقاتل حتى بالحجارة.. وحرب الشوارع جاهزة ولن ترهبنا صوار
    يخكم التي حطمت مباني بني وليد اليوم..
    حيث اعمدة الدخان تزين سماء بني وليد كرمز للصمود الاسطوري..
    فمدينة صغيرة مثل بني وليد تصمد وبقوة أمام اقوى ترسانة لمليشيات مصراتة ومن معها من العلوج انصار الظلم..
    هي قضية وطن لن نتخلى عنه الا بأفواج من الشهداء.. فخصمنا لاعهد له ولا ذمة..
    دمروا بني وليد ما إستطعتم.. فكل يوم يمضي يتبث لباقي الشعب النائم ان من يحكم هم المليشيات وان الحكومة كالطفل الرضيع !!
    عندما تستخدم صواريخ الجراد ومدافع الهاوزر و المدفعية بانواعها و الدبابات و..الخ ضد المدن
    فاعلم انه ليست هناك لا ثورة “يافبراري” ولا هناك حقوق انسان ولا دولة ستقوم بالقريب ولا حتى البعيــــد !!
    لايوجد قانون يبيح ماتفعلونه الا منطق القوة والطغيان الذي تتظاهرون انكم ضده.. هي بني وليد ستخلد في التاريخ كرمز للبطولة والتحدي.. وسيخلد معها من دعمها ..والتاريخ سيفتح مزبلته للجبناء الخانعين ممن يضربون بالكف والكانشو ويجبرون على الخضوع !!
    دولة يذل فيها المواطن لانريدها.. دولة يعتقل مواطنوها على الهوية لانريدها.. قلنا سابقا لن نكون يدا في زعزعة امن البلاد على “أمل” ان يتصلح الوضع ولكن بعد الان سنموت في ارضنا دفاعا عنها وعن اعراضنا.. وحينما نصبح حطاما تذكروا اننا قلنا يوما ما بان المخطط الذي تنفذه هذه المليشيات “كبير” جــــــــــــــــــــدا.. ولا داعي لنكرر ماكنا نقوله ولن نخاطب أحد بعد الان
    من يؤمن بما نؤمن به..سيملي عليه قلبه وإيمانه بما يفعل !.. وغير ذلك لايهمنا لانه “عدم” ..
    تبا لحكومة الجبناء.. تبا لشعب تعود على الخوف.. وتبا لمن ينادي بالحرية ويمارس الظلم.. تبا لمن ينافق نفسه.. تبا وتبا وتبا..
    وتحيـــــــــــة لمن قال كلمة حق في زمن يوصف فيه قائل الحق بأنه “زلم”.. صامدون بعون الله
    والثأر لايموت.. لايموت.. لايموت

The following reports are from mainstream media.

Libyan army to head to Bani Walid after clashes

Lizzie Phelan Commentary – “When the former army was heading to Benghazi we were told (with no evidence) they were about to commit a massacre, yes now the new “army” are heading to Bani Walid we are told they are going to “impose order”, despite the fact that the situation there is down to the “government” endorsing the current siege and their Ministry of Defence’s affiliation to militias from Misrata that have been shelling the city, as this Reuters report says itself.”

Libya’s army is heading towards the former Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid hoping to impose order in the town after deadly clashes there, the chief of staff said on Thursday.

At least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded as Libyan militias linked to the army shelled Bani Walid and faced counter-attacks on Wednesday.

Many of those in the militias were from the rival town of Misrata, which has been enraged by the death of rebel fighter Omran Shaban after two months in detention in Bani Walid. Shaban, from Misrata, was the man who found Muammar Gaddafi hiding in a drain pipe in Sirte on Oct. 20, 2011.

Libya’s ruling national congress had ordered the defence and interior ministries to find those who abducted Shaban and were suspected of torturing him to death. It also gave Bani Walid a deadline to hand them over.

Elders have tried to negotiate a solution as militias have taken up position around the town, at times clashing with local fighters. Leaders hope the army will be able to enter Bani Walid peacefully, following an agreement brokered with locals allowing their arrival.

“The (army) force is ready to enter Bani Walid and we expect this force will enter peacefully,” army chief of staff Yussef al-Mangoush told reporters. “The army is going to take control of the security situation.”

There had been talk congress president Mohammed Magarief would also head to Bani Walid to facilitate the army’s entry but a congress spokesman said the visit had been cancelled.

A spokesman for Bani Walid’s fighters said the town was still being shelled, raising questions as to how the military would enter. “Shops are closed, there is shortage of food, fuel,” Colonel Salem al-Wa’er said.

Tensions between Misrata and Bani Walid underscore the challenge Libya’s new rulers face in reconciling groups with long-running grievances.

While Misrata spent weeks under siege by Gaddafi forces in last year’s war, Bani Walid, 140 km (90 miles) away, was one of those that remained loyal to Gaddafi longest. The town of around 70,000 remains isolated from the rest of Libya and former rebels say it still harbours pockets of support for the old government.

Reuters

Full Scale Assault On Bani Walid Begins

Ground forces have begun a full-scale assault against Bani Walid in a major escalation of clashes that began on Tuesday.

The attack marks the apparent termination of efforts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, with further casualties on both sides being reported throughout today, Thursday.

“We have started to enter Bani Walid and we are not far away from the centre of the town”, said army spokesman Mohammed El-Gandus. “If we win this fight, Libya will finally be free.”

Units from the national army were dispatched by General Yusuf Mangoush earlier today, with the intention of entering Bani Walid peacefully following an agreement to that effect brokered by a government delegation with local leaders on Saturday.

It is understood that the force was ordered to halt shortly after its departure, however, with brigades surrounding Bani Walid having resolved to enter instead by force.

“They were given the order to stay where they were”, said Mohammed Bashir, president of the government-aligned Bani Walid local council in Tripoli. “Mangoush ordered them to stop”.

The reasons behind that decision remain unclear, as does the extent to which the army chief of staff is actually in control of events on the ground.

National Congress President Mohamed Magarief has not provided any comment on his position regarding today’s developments and did not respond to calls from the Libya Herald this evening. It is understood that he will make a statement on the situation tomorrow morning.

A spokesman for Misrata’s general hospital told this paper that four people had been killed in fighting yesterday, and 41 wounded.

Today, the Libya Herald witnessed an army helicopter bringing a further three casualties to the town, one of them dead having been shot in the head by a sniper.

A member of the flight crew, who returned to the front line shortly after to pick up a fourth casualty, said they had been wounded in fighting close to the centre of Bani Walid.

The deputy director of Bani Walid general hospital, Abdullah Al-Mansuri, has said that seven people from the hill-town had been killed yesterday and 75 wounded. The hospital could not be reached this evening to confirm how many more casualties had been received today.

Speaking from the Kilometre 60 checkpoint to the east of Bani Walid, Mohammed El-Gandus said that around 2,000 forces were involved in the assault and that Bani Walid airport was already under their control.

This claim has been contradicted by residents inside the town, however, who say that they successfully repulsed attacks launched against them.

“We are still in control of the airport and they have not entered the town”, said Ibrahmi Warfalli, a lawyer inside Bani Walid.

Warfalli also said that several dozen Misratan fighters were killed today after they were lured into a trap, but this has not been independently verified.

El-Gandus said that the attacking forces were coming from two fronts to the east of Bani Walid, along the roads from Mordum and As Saddadah.

“The people from Bani Walid are fighting very well”, he said, “because they know they are going to die. This is the last fight between the people supporting Qaddafi and the people supporting the revolution”.

The army spokesman said he could not put a date on when the attacking forces would succeed in taking control of the town.

“Maybe it will take some days. Maybe something unexpected will happen. It will take time if the people supporting Bani Walid use civilians as a shield. We do not want to kill civilians”.

The stated objective of the assault is to enforce Resolution No. 7, passed by the National Congress on 25 September. The resolution came on the same day as the death of Omran Shaban, the Misratan revolutionary credited with first discovering Muammar Qaddafi in a drainpipe in Sirte on 20 October last year.

The Congress initially gave Bani Walid ten days to handover those accused of involvement in Shaban’s death along with several others wanted in association with crimes allegedly committed under the former regime.

Shaban was captured in Bani Walid on 12 July together with a colleague, having been dispatched there in the wake of the abduction of two prominent Misratan journalists four days earlier.

He was shot in the spine after his vehicle approached a checkpoint without stopping, and allegedly tortured whilst inside Bani Walid before his release on 13 September.

Leaders in Bani Walid have protested that the matter is fundamentally a judicial, not a military one, and that Resolution No. 7 is unconstitutional. To date, however, it is not believed that any investigation into the Shaban incident has begun.

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Bani Walid clashes leave at least 10 dead, scores wounded

At least ten people have been killed and scores more wounded following an attack on Bani Walid from three separate fronts launched yesterday.

Conflicting reports have emerged this morning as to whether the attacking forces succeeded in entering the town at any point, but Bani Walid residents say that the town has not yet fallen.

“They are trying to enter the town; they have not succeeded yet but they are coming”, said Taha Mohammed, a doctor at Bani Walid general hospital.

The deputy director of the hospital, Abdullah Al-Mansuri, told AFP that seven had died and 75 had been wounded in the fighting.

It is also reported that four members of the Libya Shield brigade have been killed, and 19 wounded. It is not known from which of the three fronts the Shield casualties came.

Yesterday, the army’s spokesman, Colonel Ali Al-Sheikhi, denied claims that the assault had been officially authorised, saying “we gave no order to attack”. Later, however, Chief of Staff Yusuf Mangoush issued an ambiguous statement to the LANA news agency asserting that the army was “ready to enter Bani Walid”.

The exact reason for the two apparently conflicting statements is not yet clear, but it remains a possibility that Mangoush was attempting to bring his public declarations into line with the fast-changing reality on the ground.

“The army is out of General Mangoush’s control; that’s true 100 per cent”, said one senior congressman closely involved in the situation.

Another Congress source, Ahmed Langhi, confirmed that the attack was not authorised by National Congress President Mohamed Magarief or the government, who are attempting to resolve the crisis through peaceful negotiations.

“Mr Magarief is upset about this situation and he is doing his best to solve this problem before Eid”, the congressman said. “These attacks are completely against what the government and GNC wants. But these revolutionaries; they are young people; they are difficult to control.”

On Saturday, a government and Congress-mandated delegation of elders succeeded in brokering a resolution with Bani Walid leaders following a visit to the town.

It was agreed that soldiers from eastern Libya would be permitted to enter Bani Walid, purportedly to resolve the standoff and to start the process of finding those responsible for the death of Omran Shaban. That agreement has not been put into effect, however, having been rebuffed by commanders directly involved in the siege.

Langhi told the Libya Herald today that in spite of the latest clashes, this negotiated settlement remains on the table.

“We will choose people from the Libyan army to enter the town with the agreement of Bani Walid”, he said. ”We will find a peaceful resolution to this situation”.

He concluded by saying that “a very important person” would visit Bani Walid in the coming days, but refused to reveal the identity of the individual.

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Bani Walid Attacked From Three Fronts

Attacks on Bani Walid have been reported from three separate fronts today, resulting in 11 casualties at the time of writing, one of them fatal.

The development marks new territory in the ongoing siege of the town, with all previous assaults launched from a single front on the road to Mordum and Bir Dufan.

“The attacks started sometime between six and seven o’clock this morning”, said Taha Mohammed, a doctor at Bani Walid general hospital.

“This time they started from three places: Mordum, the road south towards Mizdah, and the road east towards As Saddadah.”

In addition to being responsible for the attacks from Mordum, predominantly Misratan brigades are also said to be involved in the attack from the As Saddadah road.

The attackers from the south are understood to be predominantly from brigades originating in Mizdah and Gharyan, the first time forces from either town have been involved in attacks on Bani Walid.

As with all previous assaults, today’s attacks have not been authorised by Chief of Staff Yusuf Mangoush. Nobody from his office was available for comment today, in spite of repeated attempts by the Libya Herald to make contact.

“We have had seven more cases of the gas, and four cases from explosions”, continued Mohammed. “One of those exposed to the gas has died”.

The reference to gas follows an incident on 8 October when a total of 26 patients were admitted to Bani Walid hospital with symptoms including hallucinations, foaming at the mouth, dizziness and loss of consciousness.

The Libya Herald met with some of them during a visit to the town on the same day. Mohammed said at the time that he lacked the facilities to ascertain exactly what those admitted to the hospital had come into contact with, but concluded that the most likely diagnosis was inhalation of some form of toxic gas.

Leaders in both Tripoli and on the front lines have categorically denied having any chemical weapons in their possession, however, and it remains a possibility that any gasses inhaled may have come from facilities in the area hit by the firing, or perhaps something unintentionally corroded inside the munitions themselves.

Similar reports of gas being used were reported at the time of the conflict around Zintan and Mizdah in June, which turned out to be a false alarm.

Unlike the 8 October case, however, today’s reported gas casualties were caused by shelling from the Mizdah side, not Mordum.

The four patients wounded as a result of explosions are said to have been hit in and around the centre of Bani Walid itself.

Mohammed said that firing had also come from the Mordum area yesterday, but had not resulted in any casualties.

The fresh assaults come in spite of mediation efforts led by a union of elders commissioned by the government and the National Congress to negotiate with Bani Walid.

Following a visit to the town on Saturday, it was agreed that soldiers from eastern Libya would be permitted to enter Bani Walid, purportedly to resolve the standoff and to start the process of finding those responsible for the death of Omran Shaban.

That agreement has not been put into effect, however, having been rebuffed by commanders directly involved in the siege.

“Magarief authorised the agreement following the elders’ visit to Bani Walid on Saturday”, one source involved with the negotiations told the Libya Herald.

“Unfortunately, the people surrounding Bani Walid have said they do not agree with the proposal and seem resolved to enter Bani Walid by force”.

Source

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Category : BANI WALID, LIBYA, LIBYAN RESISTANCE