France24 - Interview: 'Libyan rebels are no al Qaeda-like terrorists': "
In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 on Sunday, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi claimed that the Islamic terrorist organisation al Qaeda was responsible for the violent uprising in the country he has ruled for the past 40 years.
“Units of the Libyan army have had to fight small armed al Qaeda bands. That is what’s happened,” Gaddafi told FRANCE 24’s Khalil Beshir in Tripoli.
As he discussed the role of international media and Libya’s ties to the West, Gaddafi repeatedly reiterated his claim that Osama bin Laden’s group had instigated the initial violence and was bunkered down in Benghazi, the country's second largest city now under rebel control.
According to Alexandre Vautravers, a specialist in strategy and military history who heads the Department of International Relations at Webster University in Geneva, Gaddafi’s claims about al Qaeda’s influence are unfounded. But, he says, they are consistent with the Libyan leader’s continuing – and so far successful – strategy to remain in power."
No comments :
Post a Comment