Benghazi port reopens in key victory in anti-terror fight

Benghazi port in east Libya reopened for the first time in three years in what was hailed as a key victory over terrorist groups smuggling weapons and fighters into the North African country.

Operations had ceased when armed groups, including ISIL, occupied the city.

These groups were expelled in July this year by the forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who is aligned with the Tobruk-based parliament, an administration rivalling the UN-backed government in Tripoli.

The Tobruk parliament has its own government led by Abdullah Al Thani, and it was this administration that oversaw the reopening of the port on Sunday. Mr Al Thani arrived on a cargo vessel and was accompanied by members of his cabinet, AFP reported.

“We thank God that justice has been victorious over injustice,” Mr Al Thani said, referring to the ousting of the Islamist militias.

“The docking of this cargo ship carrying medicines and food supplies … is a major challenge to the obscurantists who used it to bring weapons to the terrorists.

“Benghazi is a peaceful city, not a haven for terrorists as some people claim,” Mr Al Thani said.

Libyan armed forces spokesman Ahmad Al Mesmari said on Sunday that ISIL and Al Qaeda affiliates were working together, backed by Qatar.

“Qatar is transporting armed ISIL militants from Syria to Libya. Also, Qatar’s financial support for terrorist organisations in Libya persists,” he said.