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By Jamal Adel.
Beida, 15 April 2015:
Fighting between the Tebu and the Tuareg has flared up in Obari as Grad missiles and . . .[restrict]heavy artillery rained down on Brak Al–Shatti Airbase where the Libyan National Army (LNA) is trying to regain control in a push from the south.
The fighting started again after a week devoid of action following a visit by Tuareg elders to Tobruk.
Tuareg militants, perceived as pro-Libya Dawn, remain in control of the strategic Tindi Mountain and are leaving no room for government-aligned Tebu troops to press any closer to the centre of the Obari.
The battle, which has been ongoing for the past seven months, has had a severe effect on every aspect of life in the town. Families have been displaced, homes have been burnt down and roads left impassable. Repeated mediation efforts have failed.
Sunday night, the government-aligned 241 Brigade, whose commander, Colonel Mohamed Ben Nael was captured by the Third Force of the Central Shield, made a fresh move to retake the Libya Dawn-held airbase.
According to the Third Force spokesman, who referred to the attackers as the “tribes army”, the troops tried to advance toward the airbase, but were immediately pushed back.
The Misratan Third Force was deployed to Sebha as peacekeepers by the General National Congress (GNC) and Ali Zeidan’s government, following fierce fighting between the Tebu and Awlad Suleiman tribes in February 2014.
This deployment enabled the Third Force to take control of the Jufra, Taminhent and Brak Al-Shatti airbases in the south.
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