TUNIS: Tunisia’s army General Rachid Ammar, who refused orders to crush the 2011 uprising that toppled ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has announced he is stepping down.
“I have asked to exercise my right to retire, because I have easily reached the age limit,” said the 67-year-old general in comments broadcast yesterday by Tunisian radio.
Ammar, who first made the surprise announcement on Monday evening on private TV channel Ettounsiya, said he had presented his request to President Moncef Marzouki who accepted it.
Iran slams Egypt’s sectarian killings
DUBAI: Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the killing of four Shia Egyptians near Cairo, saying such extremism violated the tenets of Islam, state television reported late on Monday.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran denounces any act of extremism and violence which contradicts Islam and the tenets of Islam,” read a foreign ministry statement published by the website of English-language news channel, Press TV.
“Iran is certain that the sensible and revolutionary Egyptian nation, through its prudent leaders ... will also exercise vigilance vis-à-vis plots to foment discord among various schools of Islam,” it added.
Six Libyan soldiers killed in ambush
TRIPOLI: Unknown gunmen launched a dawn attack yesterday on a Libyan army checkpoint south of Sirte, the home town of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, killing six soldiers, a military officer said. “An attack at dawn against a checkpoint of the army in the town of Khuchum Al Kheil, south of Sirte, killed six soldiers who were on guard duty,” local military officer Khaled Al Akari was quoted as saying by Lana news agency. Agencies
