Haftar returns to Libya after treatment
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Libya’s powerful commander Khalifa Haftar arrived on Thursday evening in the eastern city of Benghazi, weeks after he left the country amid speculation about his health.
Haftar’s plane landed at Benghazi’s Bnena airport where he was welcomed by army commanders, senior officials and a number of tribal chiefs.
The 75-year-old chief of the Libyan National Army, wearing a Western-style suit, looked in good health in a live television broadcast of his arrival. In mid-April, an aide to Haftar said he was in Paris for “normal checkups” due to an unspecified illness.
Haftar on Thursday flew into Benghazi from Cairo where he reportedly spent two days after his return from France.
The Libyan army accused the Muslim Brotherhood of leading a “fierce media and political battle” against Haftar by spreading fake news about him.
The army added in a statement that Benghazi will celebrate Haftar’s return, calling him a “hero”, who saved the city from militants. Hundreds of people took to Benghazi’s streets in celebration of Haftar’s return, Libyan media reported.