Tunisia probes into Qatari transactions to Libyan terrorists

CAIRO – 10 June 2017: Tunisia opened an investigation into alleged Qatari transactions to Libyan terrorist groups via Tunisia following a Libyan National Army commander’s remarks, said Tunisian Defense Minister Farhat Horchani on Friday.

In a statement following a special session held by the National Defense Institute, Horchani asserted that his ministry would examine these allegations and their possible repercussions on the country’s national security.

Libyan National Army spokesman Colonel Ahmed al-Mesmari revealed a number of documents showing Qatar’s interference in Libya on Wednesday.

Mesmari accused Qatari officials of increasing the divisions within Libya through providing billions of dollars for extremist militants in the country.

Among the Qatari officials named were Mohammed Hamad al-Hajri, chargé d'affaires at the Qatari embassy in Libya, and Qatari intelligence officer General Salim Ali al-Jarboui, who served as Qatar's military attaché in North Africa.

Jarboui has been accused of supporting al-Qaeda, Islamic State and the Muslim Brotherhood financially, where he transferred $8bn from the Qatar National Bank Tunisia to the Housing Bank of Tataouine Governorate in southern Tunisia, to be sent later to Libya to support terrorist groups.

Horchani noted that the terrorism is still a global threat for all countries despite ongoing successful military and security anti-terrorism efforts. However, the defense minister reassured the Tunisian people that the security situation in the country is currently stable.

Libya's eastern-based government, supported by the Libyan National Army led by General Khalifa Haftar, has followed its regional allies of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Bahrain in cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday.

The three Gulf States as well as Egypt closed their airspace and seaports for the Qatari transportation and withdrew their diplomatic missions from Qatar.