Libyan forces say Al-Qaeda commander killed in operation

BENGHAZI: The forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar said they killed on Friday three jihadists including a senior Al-Qaeda member in the south of the country days after launching a security operation. Ahmad al-Mesmari, a spokesman for Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army, described the three as “terrorists” and identified them as Abdel Monem al-Hasnaoui, also known as Abu Talha al-Libi, Al-Mahdi Dengo and Egyptian citizen Abdullah al-Dessouki. He said they were killed during “a special operation... Friday in Al-Qarda al-Chatti region of southwestern Libya”. Abu Talha — a Libyan whose death was reported on several past occasions including in an 2016 air raid by unidentified aircraft — is said by Libya to be a senior operative of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Mesmari gave no further details on the other two suspects.