Young Libyans attack Salafi militants base
Benghazi
(AsiaNews) - Hundreds of young demonstrators attacked the headquarters of Ansar
al-Shariah, one of the most extremist Islamic groups, hunting militants and
setting fire to the building. The
attack took place late last night, after a day of protests attended by tens of
thousands of people to "save Benghazi." The
rally was organized to criticize violence in the city, which led to the murder
of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens, three members of his staff, along with 10
Libyan guards in the U.S. consulate. In
fact Ansar al-Shariah is suspected of having attacked the U.S. consulate, on
September 11, taking advantage of the demonstrations against the anti-Islam
film, produced in the United States.
The
headquarters of Ansar al-Shariah was surrounded by the crowd shouting "No
to armed militias!" Militiamen sought first to fire shots in the air, but
then were forced to flee.
A
similar attack against another militia base in the city, the Sahaty brigade, led
to three deaths. Anti-militia
demonstrators and police clashed for two hours, until the armed group fled. In another incident one
person was killed.
Anti-militia
demonstrations are something new in the Libyan panorama. People
are frustrated by the lack of security, following the fall of Gaddafi. Many
Islamic groups, which helped to put an end to the Colonel's dictatorship, have
refused to disarm or accept to enter in law enforcement. They
often act like bands of outlaws, attacking groups and people who do not obey
their vision of a fundamentalist Islam.
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