Gulf of Sidra, Cyrenaica and Benghazi
In early October the Libya Herald reported that police officers and soldiers have continued to come under repeated attack in Benghazi as they attempt to establish control over the city. As many as six personnel are reported to have been injured in recent attacks, including attacks on the Gar Younes police station and near the city’s children’s hospital. In a separate report, on 3 October three police members died when an armed group threw a grenade at a checkpoint in Soussa, 200 km northeast of Benghazi. A fourth police member was reported to have died the following day from injuries sustained in the attack.
The Washington Post reported that on 4 October an FBI team had finally visited the US consulate in Benghazi, for the first time since the 11 September attack. A Pentagon spokesman reported that the team was accompanied by a small contingent of US military personnel. A Libyan Ministry of Interior spokesman later reported that the team spent less than five hours in Benghazi and had visited a number of locations in search of items looted from the compound. In a separate report, CNN claimed that a US military official stated that US special operations forces were in Libya and neighbouring countries aiding in the collection of intelligence on suspects involved in the 11 September attack. There remains a degree of speculation by Libyan and foreign commentators that the US may take some form of action against individuals or groups who they have identified as involved in the 11 September attack.
AFP reported that the seven Iranian Red Crescent workers who were kidnapped in Benghazi on 31 July by an Islamist aligned militia were freed on 7 October. Their release was announced by Interior Ministry spokesman Ezzedine al-Fazzani, who also stated that the seven Iranians had subsequently left the country fromBenghazi'sBaninaInternationalAirport. The report was supported by a Libyan Red Crescent official, Qais al-Fahry, who confirmed the Red Crescent workers had left for Turkey, from where they would continue on to Iran. Al-Fahry reported that they were in good health and happy to be heading home.
