Libya’s Ansar Al-Sharia group declares dissolution
Libya’s Ansar Al-Sharia armed group announced its own dissolution on Saturday, saying it has been “weakened” by fighting in Benghazi.
The group had been clashing in the eastern city with forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar.
“We officially announce to everyone, especially Libyans, the dissolution of Ansar al-Sharia in Libya,” the group said in a statement published online.
The decision came on the back of heavy losses that wiped out its leaders and decimated its fighters, Ansar al-Sharia said, calling on other armed groups in Benghazi to form a united front and continue fighting.
The United States blames the group for the attack on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi in 2012 which killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
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