An incident rocking Abu Salim heralds security chaos in Tripoli

10 people were shot dead, including members of the Ghaniwa militia, with the UN mission calling for an independent and comprehensive investigation into the incident, and the eastern government expressing its readiness to help the Dabaiba government to establish security in the west of the country.

Al-Arab London – The security authorities in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, announced on Sunday that 10 people were found dead inside a house in the Abu Salim area, in mysterious circumstances, including members of a militia affiliated with the Stabilization Support Service headed by Abdul-Ghani Al-Kakli, known as “Ghaniwa,” which reflects the state of chaos. Security in light of the control of competing armed militias over influence.

The Tripoli Security Directorate said in a statement on Sunday evening that the Public Prosecution had begun investigations into the incident. She added that the identity of the party carrying out the crime is still unknown and the reasons are mysterious, but she indicated the possibility of the involvement of an armed group, explaining that the dead were shot and sustained gunshot wounds.

Tripoli Security Director Khalil Wahiba said in a press briefing that “a report was received at the Abu Salim Police Station at 1:30 a.m. by the control room regarding the killing of ten people, some of whom belong to the Stability Support Service, inside a house near the Abu Shaala Mosque at the hands of an unknown armed group.” Identity.”

He added that the Public Prosecution was informed of the incident, which in turn began the investigation, along with the Criminal Investigation Office, as they moved to the crime scene in order to remove fingerprint traces, search the house, and conduct a visual examination of the bodies.

It was found that the bodies had been hit by several bullets, and then they were transported to Dar al-Rahma in Abu Salim Accident Hospital, while the prosecution ordered that they be presented to forensic medicine to determine the time of the incident and the mechanism of its occurrence, the weapon used in it, and the ammunition to be seized and presented to the weapons expert, according to Wahiba.

The Director of Security indicated that the Minister of Interior in the outgoing unity government, Imad Trabelsi, issued instructions to form a work team with experience, competence and skill in the field of collecting information, evidence and investigative work, to uncover the incident and ensure that the perpetrators do not escape punishment.

The Support and Stability Service, which is loyal to the National Unity Government, mourned two of its members who were among those killed in the massacre in the Abu Salim area in Tripoli, namely Muhammad Fathi Shanish and Musab Al-Mukhtar Al-Dabaa. It explained in a statement that Shanish and Al-Dabaa were with a group who were “reached by the hands of treachery,” without further details about the matter. the incident.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya condemned what it described as “the violent killing incident in the Abu Salim area” in the capital, Tripoli, on the night of February 17.

While the UN mission said in a statement today, Monday, that it continues to closely monitor the situation, it considered that this incident “constitutes another reminder of the warnings repeatedly issued by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Abdullah Batili, that competition between security agencies entails serious risks for the situation.” “The fragile security situation in the capital, Tripoli.”

The statement urged what it described as the relevant Libyan authorities to ensure an independent, rapid and comprehensive investigation into the incident and to work to prevent any actions that might lead to escalation and further violence.

Osama Hammad, head of the Libyan government appointed by Parliament, denounced what he described as a crime after a number of people were killed in armed clashes in Tripoli, and said that this was a continuation of the “chaos scenario.”

Hammad considered on the “X” platform that there is “continuing absurdity as a result of the armed groups’ control of the reins of power in the capital, Tripoli.”

Hammad, the Libyan Attorney General, called for an investigation into the incident, and said that his government is ready “to extend a helping hand to establish security, control and secure the security situation in the western regions of the country, just as the eastern and southern regions of the country were secured, which have become safe and stable thanks to the efforts of the armed forces and the Ministry of Interior of the Libyan government.”

Libyan media reported, citing informed sources in the Abu Salim area, that Abdul-Ghani Al-Kakli deployed members of the Stabilization Support Service, which may be interpreted as a declaration of a state of emergency in the region.

The incident occurred around two o’clock in the morning on Sunday, a few meters from the platform of Martyrs’ Square, which hosted the February 17 celebrations.

According to security sources, an armed group raided a house used as a security site in the Abu Salim area, and opened fire on those inside, which included members of the Stability Support Service and others were civilians.

The sources confirmed that the Interior Ministry of the Dabaiba government did not take any security measures, and did not bother to announce the incident, its causes, or the actual number of dead or survivors.

The sources spoke of the killing of 11 people, including at least three brothers, while the incident appeared to be a liquidation operation, while the victims were present in one of the headquarters in the area, without identifying the killers.

Libyans considered, in blog posts, that this horrific crime briefly expresses the state of security turmoil that the capital, Tripoli, is experiencing, under the control of armed militias that have tense relations with each other and struggle over areas of influence.

Others also believed that these incidents would create a climate of terror and anxiety in light of the prevailing culture of impunity, and would also represent an obstacle to the national reconciliation process and the opportunity to hold elections.

Libya witnessed early, since the overthrow of the regime of the late President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and the deterioration of the security situation, a number of bloody crimes that were recorded against unknown persons in western and eastern Libya.

Among the bloodiest crimes in the country, 36 bodies were found on the crusher road between the cities of Al-Abyar and Benghazi, in the east of the country, in 2017, in addition to the killing of 17 citizens, including children and women, in an air strike on the city of Derna in the same year, by aircraft described as “unknown.” “. To date, the perpetrator behind these crimes has not been revealed.