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Libya rebels dissolve executive committee

09 August 2011 03:07 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Libya’s rebels sacked their executive committee on Monday, officials said, in a move aimed at easing tensions over the recent killing of the opposition’s military chief, APA reports quoting Associated Press.

The rebels’ National Transitional Council dissolved the committee, which serves as a sort of government cabinet, after determining that "administrative mistakes" were made surrounding last month’s slaying of Abdel-Fattah Younis, said national council member Fathi Turbel.

"It was clear the Cabinet needed to be reshuffled after military, security and media incompetence," Turbel said.

Mahmoud Jibril, who was the head of the outgoing committee, has been asked to form a new board of ministers.

Younis’ killing has shaken both the rebels’ leadership, and its Western allies, who have heavily backed the rebels controlling most of eastern Libya.

Younis’ body was found dumped outside Benghazi on July 28 along with the bodies of two colonels who were his top aides. They had been shot and their bodies burned.

The rebel leadership insists the slaying was the work of Gadhafi’s regime, but several witnesses have said Younis was killed by fellow rebels.