TRIPOLI, Libya, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Libya's National Transitional Council Thursday appointed a retired military officer to be armed forces chief of staff.
Youssef Mangoush, a special forces member who fought as a field commander against the Gadhafi regime's troops in February and was arrested in April, was chosen as the top military commander, CNN reported.
CNN, citing scholars, said the appointment is seen as a compromise, as rival militias battle throughout Libya, particularly in the cities of Tripoli and Misurata. The government seeks to win the militia's loyalties while disarming them.
The factional fighting has slowed efforts to organize disparate groups into a national army, and the selection of Mangoush is seen by some observers in America as an attempt to inspire confidence in the central government. Mangoush has ties to Misurata and the interim government hopes that will help bring rival forces under a central command.
Four people died in Tripoli Tuesday in clashes between militias, and residents are growing frustrated with streets of armed men who do not answer to a central authority, CNN said. The interim government has pledged to incorporate the fighters into a national security force.
