'Don't surrender your weapons'
Rebel fighters celebrate, as negociations resumed between tribal elders and rebel leaders in a mosque at a checkpoint between Tarhouna and Bani Walid. Rebel fighters celebrate, as negociations resumed between tribal elders and rebel leaders in a mosque at a checkpoint between Tarhouna and Bani Walid.
Cairo - Al-Qaeda network has called on Libyan fighters not to surrender their weapons to the interim government and congratulated them for the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, according to a video published on Tuesday.
Senior al-Qaeda militant Abu Yahya al-Libi praised fellow Libyans for the fall of Gaddafi's “tyrant” and his “ruined” regime, in a video posted on Islamist forums.
“My brothers, abandoning the weapons that were one of the reasons of your liberation from a deadly slavery... means simply returning to slavery in a new cover and surrendering to arrogant tyrants,” he said in the 42-minute video.
“We were surprised to see this video,” said Jalal al-Galal, a spokesman for the ruling National Transitional Council in Benghazi. “Muslims in Libya are moderate, they will not listen to this man or anyone from al-Qaeda.”
Al-Galal, based in the eastern city of Benghazi, said that defence and interior ministers were putting together a plan to collect all weapons from former fighters.
One of the biggest challenges facing Libya's interim government is the disarmament of fighters who took part in the battle against former leader Moamer Gaddafi. - Sapa-dpa