http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/libyan-rebel-general-fairfax-virginia/story?id=13256324
BENGHAZI, Libya March 30, 2011________________________
________________________
_______________
Gen. Khalifa Haftr, the self-proclaimed commander
of the Free Libyan Army, does not dress for battle. On
a recent day after his forces had reclaimed much of
the territory they had lost, the commander was
wearing a pinstripe suit and a black turtleneck
sweater.
Haftr, who lived in Fairfax, Va., until recent weeks
when he returned to join the rebellion against
Moammar Gadhafi, was appointed to lead the rebel
army earlier this month. His top aides appear to be
his sons.
It is difficult for the media as well as the Obama
administration to determine who, if anyone, is in
charge of the rebellion. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton said recently, "We don't know as much as we
would like to know and as much as we expect we will
know. We're picking up information."
A U.S. official said, "There's still a fair amount of
uncertainty here on who's who in the opposition
camp."
After a surge across eastern Libya following allied
aerial attacks on Gadhafi's forces, the rebel army is
again in retreat from the city key oil city of Ras
Lanouf, and it's not clear who is commanding them.
Haftr, a general in Gadhafi's army during the 1980s,
claims to be in charge. Haftr told ABC News that he
doesn't officially report to Omar Hariri, the rebels'
defense minister; or to Gen. Abdel Fattah Younes,
who has the title of chief of staff.
Haftr spoke with ABC News earlier this week at a time
the rebels were on the march behind allied air power.
At the time, Haftr predicted that the rebels' advance on
Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte would not be a major test
for his ragtag army, and that the city would fall easily.
Instead, the rebels ran into tanks and artillery and are
now fleeing for safety.
The opposition's military command structure -- what
is known of it -- has some inherent problems. A U.S.
official pointed out that Haftr and Younes have been
on opposite sides for a long time.
When Haftr served under Gadhafi, he fought in Chad,
a military debacle in which thousands of Libyan
soldiers died. After being arrested in Chad, Haftr says
he was sentenced to death by Gadhafi, but managed
to seek asylum in the U.S. He said he returned to
Libya in recent weeks and was promptly put in charge
of the rebel forces.
Libyan Rebel General Lived in Virginia Until Recently
Haftr insists that he is well known in Libya and can
rally and organize forces against Gadhafi.
Younes defected from Gadhafi's forces only in the last
month. While his long-lasting loyalty to Gadhafi has
aroused suspicion among some opposition elements,
he brings with him recent military experience and
knowledge of Gadhafi's forces and capabilities.
"Libyan opposition forces are a patchwork. Gen.
Khalifa Haftr and Abdel Fattah Younes are two of the
players. They've been on opposite sides in Libya for
advertisement By ALEXANDER MARQUARDT and MARK MOONEY
Libyan Rebel Commander Is From Fairfax, Virginia
Gen. Khalifa Haftr Wears Pinstripe Suit Instead of Camouflage
quite a while and are probably just beginning to
build a relationship. After all, Haftr's been an
opposition figure for some 20 years and Younes just
left the Gadhafi regime," said the U.S. official who had
asked not to be named.
Haftr says his forces need M16 rifles, anti-tank
missiles, armored personnel carriers and
communication equipment. The general said he
would welcome foreign military trainers to whip his
army into shape.
CLICK HERE to follow the ABC News Investigative Team
and Brian Ross on Facebook and join in on the
discussion.
He also denied that extremist Islamists are in his
army, although U.S. experts told Congress this week
that there was evidence that militant Muslims make up
a small number of rebel fighters.
ABC News' Luis Martinez and Matthew Cole
contributed to this report
advertisement
