"Moderate" Syrian opposition sent to Libya to fight against Haftar

26.05.2020, Damascus.

Militants of the so-called “moderate” opposition from the Syrian National Army (SNA) were sent to fight against Haftar in Libya, a Rossa Primavera News Agency’s source in Syria informs on May 26.

“Terrorists from Firkat al-Sultan Murad (organisation banned in Russia) were sent from Afrin in the north of the Aleppo province to Libya,” the agency source said.

He added the militants were sent to Libya to fight on the side of Fayez al-Sarraj’s government against Khalif Haftar’s forces. The source did not specify, who sent Syrian terrorists to Libya and their number.

Firkat al-Sultan Murad (organization banned in Russia) is part of the so-called Syrian National Army (SNA). It is association of terrorist groups recognized by Western countries as a “moderate” Syrian opposition.

The Turkish-backed SNA consists of about 40,000 militants. Many SNA fighters were combatants of the ISIL (organization banned in Russia) units.

Background

On February 15, 2011, mass riots erupted in the Libyan city of Benghazi during the so-called Arab Spring rapidly developing into a civil war in the country.

The President of Libya, Muammar al-Gaddafi, was assassinated on October 20.

The main stage of the war ended on October 23. The death toll during the civil war exceeded 50,000 people. The official power in Libya was finally transferred to the National Transitional Council of Libya (TNC) formed by the opposition.

The overthrow of Gaddafi did not lead to peace in Libya. The civil war continued permanently, the country was torn apart in the conflicts between various warring groups of Islamists and tribes.

On July 7, 2012, elections to the Libyan parliament, the General National Congress, were held.

On February 14, 2014, General Khalifa Haftar announced the resignation of the Libyan Government and the dissolution of the General National Congress.

On May 16, Haftar announced a military operation against Islamists in Benghazi. And a new large-scale civil war begins in Libya.

On June 25, elections to a new Libyan parliament, the House of Representatives of Libya, were held. The parliament is moving to the north-east of the country to the city of Tobruk.

On November 6, the Supreme Court of Libya, located in Tripoli, declared the parliamentary elections invalid and announced the dissolution of the Libyan House of Representatives. Parliamentarians do not recognize the court’s decision.

On March 2, 2015, the Libyan House of Representatives in Tobruk decides to appoint Khalifa Haftar as Supreme Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA). The Libyan National Transitional Council in Tripoli does not recognize the decision of Parliament and declares Haftar a war criminal.

Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency

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