Terrorist acts by unidentified groups targeting members of the army, police and even civilians in Benghazi have marked an alarming phase of violence characterized by beheadings and suicide bombings.
The recent suicide bombing incident at the Barsis checkpoint outside of Benghazi on December 22, 2013 left 12 people dead and 15 wounded.
Terrorist acts by unidentified groups targeting members of the army, police and even civilians in Benghazi have marked an alarming phase of violence characterized by beheadings and suicide bombings.
The recent suicide bombing incident at the Barsis checkpoint outside of Benghazi on December 22, 2013 left 12 people dead and 15 wounded.
In response, the interim government announced three days of mourning for the killed soldiers and pledged to cover the treatment costs of the injured.
A few days earlier, Benghazi witnessed another horrific incident when Jalaa Hospital received the severed head of Atia Naely who had been kidnapped three months prior and is the father of Salem Afarit—said to be responsible for Benghazi clashes.
Salem Afarit stressed that his father was kidnapped during clashes between the Libyan army’s Special Forces unit and Ansar al-Sharia militias, while inside sources reported that the victim’s father was kidnapped by a gang to extort his son Salem for money.
Salem Naely, nicknamed Salem Afarit, was accused by Ansar al-Sharia group of being responsible for the violent clashes between the army Special Forces unit and Ansar al-Sharia militia in Benghazi on November 24 where light, medium and heavy weapons were used.
The Ministry of Health’s Crisis Committee announced on November 25 that the confrontations killed nine and injured 49 members of the Special Forces unit, in addition to several civilians who engaged in the fight.
While no official bodies confirmed any casualties among Ansar al-Sharia, unconfirmed reports indicated the arrival of injured members to Ajdabiya city, 160 kilometers west of Benghazi, to receive medical treatment.
Expansion of clashes
Following the shootings in Al Birkah, the circle of clashes widened to include several other areas, the most violent of which occurred in Ras Obeida where a group of Ansar al-Sharia barricaded itself inside a building it used to operate as a charity clinic.
The Ras Obeida clashes took place for several hours and resulted in street evacuations in addition to the closure of schools, companies and shops, which gradually reopened after the end of the battle while the army eased its spread in the streets, but failed to affect the rate of assassinations that have been targeting security and military elements on a daily bases.
November clashes disturbed the relations between Ansar al-Sharia militia and the Special Forces unit where the latter objects the presence of Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi and undervalues its work in securing its city.
Conflicting stories
Commander of the Special Forces unit Colonel Wanis Bokhmadh denied the affiliation of Salem Naely to the Special Forces and confirmed that he had been dismissed a long time ago and is no longer a member of the Special Forces unit.
During an emergency meeting of the Local Council and the Council of Elders on the background of the clashes in Benghazi, Bokhmadh admitted the “lack of discipline of a few Special Forcers’ soldiers who abused drugs and alcohol.”
An initiative led by a number of city Elders resolved the crisis between the two parties and a truce was declared followed by the deployment of the army in all streets of Benghazi after theLocal Council of Benghazi announced civil disobedience for three days.
Supporting the Special Forces
The General National Congress (GNC) held an emergency meeting to discuss the matter and a delegation headed by Interim Prime Minister Ali Zeidan and included a number of ministers and GNC members was sent to Benghazi to assess the situation.
The government said it supports the Special Forces unit and is determined to provide them with all requirements to operate properly. It also advised Bokhmadh to eliminate terrorists and outlaws from Benghazi, a position expected to be violently addressed by Ansar al-Sharia.
However and unexpectedly, the clashes have ceased and no forthright reactions were taken by Ansar al-Sharia whereas assassinations by unidentified groups continued.
Other cities
In the city of Ajdabiya, near Benghazi, citizens stormed into the ‘Association of Sharia’ and destroyed its assets in response to the events in Benghazi.
The Head of the Local Council of Ajdabiya Salem Subaihi has not confirmed the affiliation of the association to Ansar al-Sharia. He stressed that Ansar al-Sharia has no organizations or activities in Ajdabiya and their presence is probably limited to individuals rather than an organization as in Benghazi.
Political analyst Sanusi Bsekri analyzed the security situation in Benghazi and said: “The first suicide bombing at the beginning should settle the debate about who is responsible for the violence of bombings and assassinations where the radical Islamists are the ones to blame since only Al Qaeda and those who share the same ideology could be involved in such violence.”
The risk of escalation
Bsekri believes that the escalation of violence would contribute to the crisis and influence the internal network on the basis that extremists represent the sole enemy— likely a misconception since remnants of the former regime have also been proven to commit acts of murder and sabotage.
On the other hand, Bsekri said: “Such security escalation takes place before the failure of the government and its security agencies to reassure the public that there is hope in containing the danger and eliminating those involved.”
Bseka concluded that the challenge is represented in this new escalation and its consequences, but rather in the absence of any indications about the possibility of developing security capabilities to confront the escalation of violence and its repercussions.
