Libya: Rebel chief found dead in Benghazi

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Libya: Rebel chief found dead in Benghazi

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The commander of Libyas rebel army was found dead in Benghazi along with two senior officers.

29 July,2011 07:05 pm

The death of Gen Abdul Fattah Younis came after the rebels’ Transitional National Council sought Younis for questioning about military matters and alleged ongoing ties to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, according to what Younis’ supporters told journalist James Hider of the Times of London.Supporters also shot at a Benghazi hotel and smashed its windows.Younis had served as interior minister in Gadhafis government until February, when he defected to the Benghazi-based rebel movement. He was killed along with a colonel and a lieutenant colonel, the rebels Transitional National Council said in a statement aired on their television network late Thursday.No further details were immediately released.Earlier Thursday, the rebels said their forces had captured five towns and surrounded a sixth in the plains below the Nafusa mountain range, which borders Tunisia.Hundreds of rebels moved from their mountain positions at dawn. With heavier weapons leading the way with lighter armed fighters following, they initially encountered fierce resistance from Gadhafis loyalists.