Gulf of Sidra, Cyrenaica and Benghazi
According to Irassa, a former Internal Security employee under the Qadhafi regime was shot twice in Derna by unknown gunmen on 5 September. The injured man, Morai Al Mazbal, was transferred to a hospital. The report also claimed that Al Mazbal was briefly kidnapped after the war, but was released and had since been living a ‘normal life’.
Irassa also reported on 5 September that a significant increase in security personnel had been reported throughout Benghazi. The majority of the forces were police, but there was also a notable increase in rebel brigades. No reason for this apparent increase in security posture was reported. Separately, but possibly connected, a marine brigade belonging to the Chief of Staff was reported to have arrested 250 illegal immigrants in Benghazi on 5 September. The immigrants were reported to have been caught at various checkpoints throughout the city. Most were reported to have been from Egypt and Chad.
According to Libya Al Youm, a Sudanese military delegation arrived in Al Kufra on 4 September. The delegation is scheduled to discuss securing the borders with the heads of the region’s military zone and Al Kufra’s military council, as well as representatives of Libya’s aerial monitoring forces. In a separate report, the Libyan daily Irassa reported that the Libyan authorities have allocated seven million Libyan dinars to residents of Al Kufra whose homes had been damaged in Arab-Tabu clashes. Press Solidarity reported that one person was shot in Al Kufra on 9 September by unknown assailants, which residents described as a violation of a fragile peace agreement now in place between Zwai Arabs and Tabu. A group of Chadian fighters were reported to be the primary suspects.
According to the BBC, clashes broke out in Rajma, 30 km east of Benghazi on 7 September, after armed locals fought off Salafists who attempted to destroy the Sidi Al Lafi mausoleum. The clashes were reported to have left three people dead and several wounded. Deputy Interior Minister, Wanis Al Sharif subsequently reported that Libyan security forces brought the situation under control and dispersed the crowd with help from local tribal chiefs. On 9 September, tribal elders from Rajma and tribes from Ajdabiya and Marj met to discuss the attack against the Al Lafi mausoleum. According to Press Solidarity, the elders affirmed that the security of the Al Lafi family was a tribal responsibility and that any assault on the family would be considered an assault on the tribes.
On 10 September, Air Force Colonel, Badr Khamis Saad Al Obeidi, a senior military official who served in the Qadhafi regime was killed in a drive by shooting in Benghazi's Al Huwari district. Three people driving a white Hyundai opened fire on Al Obeidi as he left his home. This was the latest in a series of targeted assassinations against current and former military officers in 2012 to date. Last month, Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani issued a fatwa condemning such assassinations and that there was no justification for such attacks, regardless of motive.
