Gulf of Sidra, Cyrenaica and Benghazi
The city of Benghazi and it outlying districts have again witnessed the most activity in the country over the last seven days. Including further assassination attacks and attacks against police stations and patrols. An engineer with the Arabian Gulf Oil Company, Bakr Al Obeidi, was assassinated in Benghazi’s Al Sulimani district on 10 December. Al Obeidi, who worked at oil fields near Bayda, is not believed have been the original target and was mistaken for his neighbour, who worked in the Qadhafi regime’s internal security apparatus.
Five policemen were injured, one critically, in Benghazi on 12 December when assailants fired a rocket at their station in Fuwaihat district. The rocket was reported to have destroyed one vehicle and blown a hole in the police stations outer wall. A separate report claimed that the Ras Obeida police station was also attacked with small arms fire the previous day on 11 December.
Security Forces in Benghazi were reported to have have arrested a man in connection with the assassination of former police chief Faraj Drissi and several other high profile killings that have taken place in Benghazi in the past few months. The man was believed to have been arrested in early December, but his detention only became public knowledge following armed assaults against the city’s police headquarters on the morning of 16 December, allegedly conducted by assailants attempting to free the detained individual. Two separate attacks took place on a police facility adjacent to where the man is being held, resulting in four fatalities. The first assault took place in the early hours of the morning, with the second attack around two hours later.
The Libya Herald reported that a senior source inside Benghazi’s police department claimed that the detained individual has implicated a number leading high profile Islamists members in connection with the recent killings and assassinations and that further investigations would be required. This year has seen 18 senior security officials and around 20 others killed by targeted assassinations in the city. Some claim that the killings are not connected, but are reprisals against former Qadhafi regime members, while other claim that the killings are connected to a ‘death list’ drawn up by Islamist militants.
On the 17 December, two more police stations were attacked in Benghazi, marking the second consecutive night of unrest in the city. Shortly after midnight, Garyounis police station was hit by explosion, resulting in damage to vehicles, but no reported casualties. Some time later the Al-Oruba police station was attacked with both explosive devices and gunfire. A potential third attack on Al-Hadaeq police station was prevented when security forces arrested an individual in possession of two rocket propelled grenades. There were also reports of drive-by shootings directed at police patrols, although these remain unconfirmed.
The next security update will be in the New Year.
