Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/576901
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2015 4 News VACANCY FOR TWO (2) ARCHITECT & CIVIL ENGINEERS ETC PERMIT 192/2015 The Housing Authority is seeking to recruit 2 Architect and Civil Engineers. Applicants must be warranted Architect & Civil Engineers holding a recognised first Degree at MQF Level 6 with at least 2 years experience as a Perit. More information can be obtained from www.housingauthority.gov.mt - Vacancies. Applications together with a detailed C.V. are to be submitted by Wednesday 7th October 2015 addressed to: Human Resources Section Housing Authority 22 Pietro Floriani Street, Floriana FRN 1060 The Housing Authority is an equal opportunities employer. Confusion over assassination of Libyan trafficker by Italian commandos JURGEN BALZAN RELATIVES of an alleged Libyan militia leader, Salah Al-Maskhout, denied reports that he was killed in Tripoli by an Italian special forces team. Online newspaper Libya Herald reported that Al-Maskhout is "said to be a key operator in smuggling migrants across the Mediterrane- an" and was reportedly killed early Friday morning in Tripoli. But speaking to MaltaToday, people who claimed to be Al- Maskhout's relatives and friends said that the reports are incor- rect and in fact Al-Maskhout was alive. A man claiming to be Al- Maskhout's nephew said his uncle was not involved in any militia and after retiring from the Libyan ar- my in 1996 he is employed with an energy company based in Tripoli. "He (Al-Maskhout) is alive and he has nothing to do with smug- gling people," the man told Malta- Today. According to media reports in Libya, the Zuwara militia leader was killed by 'armed men" as he was leaving the home of his rela- tives near the Tripoli Medical Centre while he was accompanied by his security team. Interestingly, James Wheeler, a journalist with vast contacts in Libya and North Africa, tweeted that Al-Maskhout was killed by Italian commandos. Quoting Lib- yan sources, Wheeler said the Ital- ians "set up a road block in Furnaj, near Tripoli Med Center, and shot Mashkoot and his guards when they stopped." Later, the Guardian reported that the president of Libya's congress based in Tripoli, Nuri Abu Sah- main, issued a statement in which he blamed Italian special forces for the attack.Abu Sahmain heads the parliament which rivals the inter- nationally recognised government and House of Representatives based in the eastern cities of Al Bayda and Tobruk. However, this has not been corroborated by Ital- ian media reports and according to the Guardian, Italy's defence min- istry denied the allegations, con- firming Al-Maskhout's death but insisted that Italian agents were not involved. But this was also later dismissed by Migrant Report which said that the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry categorically de- nied that any Italian special forces "were in any way involved in any action" concerning Al-Maskhout. In its report, Libya Herald adds that although the aggressors' orig- inal intention was to seize the mi- litia leader, he was killed by "pro- fessionals" armed with handguns. Zuwara is considered the smug- gling capital of Libya, particularly of asylum seekers, arms and fuel as militias operate in the security gaps left by the crumbling Libyan state. Last month, after some 300 asylum seekers lost their lives off the Zuwara coast, three alleged smugglers were arrested and pa- raded by militias. Scores of bod- ies of drowned people washed ashore in Zuwara and the scenes prompted protests from outraged local residents who vented their anger at trafficker gangs. Arrests of human traffickers are far and few between in Libya as the pow- erful gangs tend to operate un- restrained amid the lawlessness caused by the political instability in Libya.With two rival govern- ments and parliaments vying for power and control of the oil-rich country, Libya has been unable to find a peaceful solution following the downfall of Muammar Gadd- afi in 2011. The instability has also delayed the EU's plans to seek and destroy smugglers' boats in Libya and if the action was indeed car- ried out by Italian special forces this happened without mandate. Yet, in recent years a number of operations by foreign forces have been carried out in Libya. Most notably, suspected al-Qaeda oper- ative Abu Anas al-Libi's was cap- tured by US Delta Force operators and the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team in October 2013.In June of last year, an Islamist militia leader Ahmed Abu Khattala was seized by US commandos in Benghazi over suspicions of his involvement in the 2012 attack on the US embassy in Benghazi in which ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed. Last month militias arrested smugglers after hundreds died at sea off Zuwara Asylum seekers rescued by AFM head to Italy A group of 83 asylum seekers were rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta and a merchant vessel on Friday night. However, 78 of the rescued group refused to be taken to Malta, insist- ing that they wanted to go to Italy. Sources confirmed that the Italian authorities agreed to take in the asylum seekers. Having been rescued in Malta's search and rescue region after their boat started taking in water east of the island, Malta was legally obliged to take in the asylum seek- ers. But following the group's re- quest, contact was made with the Italian authorities in order to seek a solution. It was confirmed in the evening that Italy would take them in. The group reportedly refused to take food and water provided by the AFM. Five of the group were transferred on board the AFM vessel, P52, and disembarked in Malta early in the morning. The remaining 78 had insisted on remaining on board the merchant vessel, which at one point was heading towards Malta. The AFM said the merchant vessel, TYCHY, was directed by Malta's Rescue and Coordination Centre to provide first assistance, pending the arrival of the P52. "They are all in good health and currently on board the merchant vessel," the Maltese army said. The five persons disembarked at Hay Wharf early this morning at 6.30am. Man dies in pool incident, Qrendi man critically injured A 65-year-old man from Mosta lost his life after he was found face down in a pool, in an establishment in St Paul's Bay. In a statement, the Police said the man was working by the pool of an establishment in Qawra Road when fell. The incident happened at around 3.45pm on Friday. Although he was given first aid and rushed to the hospital, the man passed away during the night. In a separate incident, a 32-year- old man from Qrendi suffered criti- cial injuries while carrying out works at the Cottonera Sports Complex at around 2:45am on Saturday. Accord- ing to preliminary investigations, the man was hit by a section of a struc- ture within the complex that he and his colleagues were dismantling. The man was hospitalised. Duty magistrate Francesco Depasquale is holding an inquiry.