ANKARA, Turkey: A Turkish official says six Turkish nationals who were held by a Libyan force have been released.
A Foreign Ministry official says the six crewmembers of a ship were released on Monday, a day after Turkey vowed it would consider Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces as “legitimate targets” if the Turkish nationals remained in detention.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army had earlier called Turkish assets in Libya “legitimate targets,” accusing Turkey of helping rival militias allied with the UN-supported government.
The LNA controls much of eastern and southern Libya. In April it launched an offensive against Tripoli, where a weak, UN-aligned government is based.
Turkey says 6 citizens held in Libya have been freed
Turkey says 6 citizens held in Libya have been freed
- Turkey said they would consider LNA forces as “legitimate targets” if they don’t release the crewmembers
- LNA earlier called Turkish assets in Libya as “legitimate targets”
Hundreds mourn in Syria’s Homs after deadly mosque bombing
- Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect
HOMS: Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday despite rain and cold outside of a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs where a bombing the day before killed eight people and wounded 18.
The crowd gathered next to the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi Al-Dhahab neighborhood, where the population is predominantly from the Alawite minority, before driving in convoys to bury the victims.
Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect.
A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, in which it indicated that the attack intended to target members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam whom hard-line Islamists consider to be apostates.
The same group had previously claimed a suicide attack in June in which a gunman opened fire and then detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church in Dweil’a, on the outskirts of Damascus, killing 25 people as worshippers prayed on a Sunday.
A neighbor of the mosque, who asked to be identified only by the honorific Abu Ahmad (“father of Ahmad“) out of security concerns, said he was at home when he heard the sound of a “very very strong explosion.”
He and other neighbors went to the mosque and saw terrified people running out of it, he said. They entered and began trying to help the wounded, amid blood and scattered body parts on the floor.
While the neighborhood is primarily Alawite, he said the mosque had always been open to members of all sects to pray.
“It’s the house of God,” he said. “The mosque’s door is open to everyone. No one ever asked questions. Whoever wants to enter can enter.”
Mourners were unable to enter the mosque to pray Saturday because the crime scene remained cordoned off, so they prayed outside.
Some then marched through the streets chanting “Ya Ali,” in reference to the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law whom Shiite Muslims consider to be his rightful successor.
