Libya Parliament appoints new army chief of staff

Iran Press TV

Wed Jul 31, 2013 1:9PM GMT

Libyan Parliament has appointed Colonel Abdul Salam Jad Allah al-Salheen as the new military chief of staff in the North African country.

On Tuesday, Libya’s General National Congress President Nouri Bousahmein appointed al-Salheen, an anti-regime military commander in 2011.

Al-Salheen’s predecessor Youssef al-Mangoush resigned following June’s deadly unrest which killed more than two dozen in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Violent confrontation between a militia group and a group of protesters left at least 30 people dead and injured several others in the troubled city.

The fierce fighting erupted when angry protesters gathered outside the Libya’s Shield Brigade premises demanding its dissolution.

Benghazi was the birthplace of the 2011 uprising in Libya. However, the city has been the scene of numerous attacks and assassinations over the past year as the power struggles between militiamen have intensified.

On Monday, a Libyan army official was injured in a car bomb blast in the city.

On Sunday, multiple bomb attacks, targeting judicial buildings, rocked Benghazi, injuring dozens of people.

The attacks came a day after more than 1,100 inmates fled during a riot in Kuifiya prison on the outskirts of Benghazi.

Libyans rose up against Gaddafi’s four-decade-long rule in February 2011 and deposed him in August 2011. The ruler was killed on October 20 of the same year.

MAM/KA