By Ahmed Elumami and Maha Ellawati.
Benghazi, 18 October 2013:
The family home of Wissam Ben Hamid in the Benghazi suburb of Kuwafiyah . . .[restrict]was attacked and set on fire this afternoon by members of the Barghathi tribe who accused him of responsibility for the assassination this morning of Colonel Ahmed Mustafa Al-Barghathi, head of the military police.
“Four or five carloads of men came to Wissam’s house,” said an associate of Ben Hamid. “They fired RPGs and then they escaped. But pictures were taken and it is known who they are.”
It was then widely reported on social media sites that the attackers planned to move on to the homes of four other military commanders in the city: Ahmed Bukhattalah, Libya Shield commander Ismail Salabi, Ziad Belam, head of the Omar Mukhtar Brigade, and Bukah Laraibi who commands the brigade which protects the Kuwafiyah prison. All are regarded as Islamist.
Firing was heard all over the city during the evening, but there were no reports of direct clashes between the Barghathis and their supporters on the one side and the followers of the brigade leaders on the other.
However, masked guards were seen outside Bukhatallah’s house in the city’s Leithi district. Some of them were reported on social media sites to be dressed in Afghan style. There were also said to be 4×4 vehicles deployed belonging to Libya Shield No. 1 Brigade. It was further reported that black Al-Qaeda flags were seen flying in the district.
A relative of Salabi told the Libya Herald that he had been to Salabi’s house and there were also men with guns there to protect it but he thought that there would not be any clashes. “Things are quiet now,” he said. In any event, he noted, it would be difficult for anyone to attack Bukhattalah’s or Salabi’s homes. Unlike Ben Hamid’s family home in Kuwaifiyah, an area which he said was controlled by the Barghathis, the two houses were in narrow streets and surrounded by the homes of friends and supporters.
Reports that reinforcements from Derna were heading to the city in support of Bukhattalah and the other brigade leaders are said to have resulted in other tribes allied to the Barghathis setting up road blocks to prevent stop them.
There is a history of animosity between Ben Hamid, who heads the Libya Shield No.1 Brigade, and the Barghathis. In June, members of the Barghathi tribe were prominent among those who marched to the brigade’s base in Kuwafiyah demanding its closure. The protest then degenerated into clashes in which 32 people were shot dead. The brigade was widely blamed for the killings.
Charges were filed in Washington against Bukhattalah in August accusing him of involvement in the assault on 11 September last year on the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi which resulted in the death of US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American staff. [/restrict]
