Coup Leader? CIA Asset? Mystery Surrounds Libya’s Rogue General Haftar

Latest update : 2014-05-19

From alleged connections to the CIA to possible plans to overthrow the government, there is a sense of mystery surrounding Khalifa Haftar, the rogue general whose forces led an attack on the Libyan parliament in Tripoli Sunday.

Tripoli has accused the former rebel commander of attempting to stage a coup when his forces, backed by warplanes, helicopters and rocket fire sent lawmakers running for their lives as they ransacked the legislature and demanded parliament’s suspension.

But Haftar has sought to portray himself in a different light, as a defender of the Libyan people, intent on ridding the country of Islamic extremists and a government that supports them.

Whatever the case, what is clear is that Haftar has become a significant player amid the political chaos that continues to plague Libya three years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, with various militia leaders battling to fill the power vacuum left by the former dictator’s demise.

It would not be the first time he has had a hand in shaping the future of the country. A Benghazi native, Haftar began his military career under Libya’s former monarchy. In 1969, he was one of a small group of officers, led by Gaddafi, that overthrew King Idris and installed Gaddafi in power, where he would remain for the next 42 years.

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http://www.france24.com/en/20140519-coup-leader-cia-asset-libya-general-Khalifa-haftar/