Libya: Libya orders Islamist militias to oppose rogue general
Libya’s army chief has ordered the deployment of Islamist-led militias to the capital, a day after the storming of the parliament building in Tripoli by a renegade general’s troops.
Monday’s development paves way for a possible showdown between the militias — which hail from Libya’s western and central regions — and the anti-Islamist troops allied with Gen. Khalifa Hifter, who staged the parliament attack Sunday and said they suspended the Islamist-dominated house, blaming it for empowering Islamic extremists.
According to a statement posted on the official Facebook page of Libya’s Chief of Staff media office, Nouri Abu Sahmain signed an order to “Libya’s Central Shield” — an umbrella group of powerful militias — to confront “attempts to take over power” in Tripoli.