A CIA commander for the Libyan rebels. 28 March 2011 The Libyan National Council, the Benghazi-based group that speaks for the rebel forces fighting the Gaddafi regime, has appointed a long-time CIA collaborator to head its military operations.
The selection of Khalifa Hifter, a former colonel in the Libyan army, was reported by McClatchy Newspapers Thursday and the new military chief was interviewed by a correspondent for ABC News on Sunday night. Hifter’s arrival in Benghazi was first reported by Al Jazeera on March 14, followed by a flattering portrait in the virulently pro-war British tabloid the Daily Mail on March 19. The Daily Mail described Hifter as one of the “two military stars of the revolution” who “had recently returned from exile in America to lend the rebel ground forces some tactical coherence.” The newspaper did not refer to his CIA connections. Obama in Chile: No apology for 1973 coup. By Bill Van Auken 23 March 2011 During his visit to Chile, President Barack Obama rejected a direct appeal for an apology for Washington’s role in fomenting a fascist-military coup that plunged the country into 17 years of dictatorship and entailed the murder, torture, imprisonment and exile of hundreds of thousands.
Obama appeared Monday at a joint press conference with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera held in Santiago’s La Moneda Palace. World Socialist Web Site.