and they launched an attack on parliament and demanded suspension and we will be live at tripoli in minutes but first here is his report. >> reporter: attack on the general national congress, the country's parliament and tripoli in a war zone. heavy may sine guns, grenades and weapons were used and fumes of black smoke rising in the air. according to witnesses gunmen driving vehicles stormed the gnc building say they were members of the brigade with bases by the airport and this is in the eastern city of benghazi. and they told al jazeera they declared an open war on the government for supporting what they called extremist and terrorists. on friday forces loyal attacked the bases at benghazi and left dozens of people dead and the general said he was forced to act. >> translator: today the national army launched a national battle to defend our nation, the people, and the lives of our officers who are being assassinated. this is not a coo against the state and we are not seeking power or authority and we are not hindering the course of democracy. the blood is sacred and do not want to

tripoli turned into a war zone. heavy machine-guns, rocket propelled grenades and weapons used. plumes of black smoke in the care. according to witness, gunmen driving military vehicles stormed the building, saying they were members of the zinc tan brigade that had bases near the airport. this attack seems to be linked to unrest in eastern benghazi. a spokesman for the libyan national army khalifa haftar told al jazeera that they declared an open war on the government for supporting what they called extremists and terrorists. on friday forces loyal to khalifa haftar attacked the bases of two militias in benghazi, the fighting leaving dozens dead. khalifa haftar was forced to act. >> translation: today the national army launched a battle to defend our nation, people and the lives of officers who are being assassinated. this is not a coup against a state. we are not seeking power or authority or hindering the course of democracy. the blood of libyans is safety. terrorists wanted there to be a battle. there it be honourable. >>> the central government accused khalifa haftar of stag

our correspondent is live for us from the libyan capital tripoli.ell us more about khalifa haftar. who are his supporters and how much of a threat does he pose to the libyan government, and perhaps just as importantly, to other militias. >> well, khalifa haftar is a known figure in libya, and controversial one, because you just mentioned his full history. now, what is important about khalifa haftar's force is not clear. it's not clear if he has the support of the entire libyan regions or the libyan forces. now, it depends on who you speak to. his spokesperson tells you that he enjoys wide popularity with former members of the army, that used to operate under muammar gaddafi. when you speak to his critics, former rebels say that he is a former regime member, and they do not trust him, they view him with suspicion, and he has close links to the u.s. in terms of the threat that he imposes, it's also not clear. now, he did launch an attack on two militia groups in benghazi on friday. forces claim that they were related to the zinc tan brigade and were c

we are preparing forces in benghazi as well as across libya, including tripoli.did claim responsibility that the air force who attacked the general national congress belongs to the haftar forces. >> omar saleh in pripoli. thanks, omaver. to europe, at least 44 people have now been killed in the worst flooding for more than a century, in the balkans. thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes in serbia, bosnia and croatia. some towns have been completely cut off by the floods. the prime minister is describing the situation as catastrophic. peter sharp reports. >> reporter: with more than 25,000 people being driven from their homes, as the flood waters from the saba river continue to rise, the priority for the rescue crews is the evacuation of the sick and elderly. but many of the most vulnerable remain trapped and they are now running out of food and drinking water. it is a massive logistics operation that's threatening to completely overwhelm serbia's emergency services. on dry ground, helicopter did shuttle between the riverbank and local hospi

a tense evening in tripoli. tell us about what's been happening outside the parliament building and elsewhere in the city. >> reporter: yes, very tense indeed. the gunmen who attacked or stormed the general national congress withdrew. there was pluming -- plumes of smoke and cars set on fire and there was the sound of heavy gunmen, anti-aircraft, anti -- also you have the situation very, very tense. we understand that -- >> okay. omar, we're having a few technical difficulties there with the connection in tripoli. hopefully we'll get omar with us in just a few minutes once again once we re-establish the connection. let's tell you about what's happening in libya right now. a broader picture how unstable the country has been since the revolution in 2011. the former rebels that helped to overthrow gaddafi are powerful across libya. in march they tried to ship a load of crude oil without the government's say-so. perhaps one of the most embarrassing incidents happened last year when libya's then prime minister was ki

we are live in tripoli. (♪) >>> >>> another five years in office - the a.n.c.fficially declared the winner of south africa's application. plus... >> i'm reporting from a camp and i'll tell you how the jordanian authorities are trying to improve the security for the world's largest refugee camp for syria. >>> first, voting starts in parts of eastern ukraine as separatists hold a referendum on self-rule. there are not many questions about the legitimacy of the poll. the election is held in two regions. the combined population of 6.7 million people. only those in areas under separatist control will be able to vote. let's cross to donetsk and talk to paul brennan. paul is at a voting station. tell us what is happening around you, paul. >> reporter: welcome to polling station in school 95. it's been open since 8 o'clock this morning and has seen a steady stream, a torrent i would describe it, of people coming down. there's a queue nearly 200m long outside with people waiting to vote. people are queueing up here, there are eight to look over my shoulder,ate registrar

mary fitzgerald is with us now directly from tripoli. mary, it is clearly a volatile situation in both aaa and bengh -- tripoli and benghazi. help us to understand what is going on. i think i heard a click, meaning we do not have the line in tripoli. we are going to go to more of north korea. ah, maybe we do have mary after all. mary, can you explain what is going on in tripoli? >> can you hear me? the parliament came under fire earlier this afternoon. [indiscernible] mary, in tripoli. i am very sorry, we are going to leave it there. we will come back to you on the next edition of "the journal." it was not working out very well. we apologize for the quality of that conversation. we will try to go back to mary fitzgerald in tripoli. now to north korea were hundreds of people have believed -- are leave to have died after the collapse of a 23 story apartment building. unusual move, the government officially apologize for what it called an unimaginable accident. the building collapsed on tuesday but it was not reported until this morning by

it's on the outskirts of tripoli.n's fluid and unpredictable, before the fighting erupted we have seen the u.s. ambassador, deborah jones, active here in tripoli. frequently out and about, and meeting with libyans of all walks of life but in situations like this, as you know, diplomatic missions restrict movement and an embassy official i spoke to today say everyone is fine and so far, there did not appear to be any plans to evacuate. >> what is your sense of things? you have been there so long and done so much good work there. are things sliding into general chaos or a one-off situation, are they moving in the right direction? >> this is a very dangerous situation, especially what we're seeing happening here today in tripoli, which seems to be a parallel move to what's happened in benghazi over the weekend. these are different forces, militia forces, that are saying they are going to now stand up and fight islamist forces that seem to have gained more and more pow and influence. the groups, we're not sure how much co

it was so bad in tripoli they had to evacuate the embassy in tripoli. again, did they try to do what they were ordered to do? were they ordered to engage in benghazi? the answer was no. that is the concern. general, is there anything you would want to further comment on? >> no, sir, i would not. >> what about the idea at the fast team is getting ready to deploy? people are dead. we are in a fight. why did the fast team have to change clothes out of their military uniforms and into civilian clothes? do you have any knowledge that? >> i was not directly related in, but watched the conversation. there was a sensitivity to the impact-- >> what do you think about it? >> sir, at that point in time, some must have thought it was a great idea to have marines out of uniform to go in there. i would want marines in uniform -- >> why do they wear the uniform? >> because without saying the word, it is the visual symbol of the united states of america, the marine corps, and what it has represented. >> the outrage is we have got them to fight. somebody at the state de

killed seeking a better life, dozens of bot recovered off of tripoli after a boat carrying migrants sinkse final stage on the biggest vote on earth, india's election comes to an end. but first pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine have a victory on self rule and the majority of people who voted are in favor of p move and final is coming in the next few hours and we are meeting in brussels to talk about the crisis and russia has talk about the preliminary results and they said should lead to new talks between the government and separatist leaders. >> translator: the official results will be announced soon but we treat with respect the decision of the voters and we believe a practical implementation of these results will lead to talks between kiev and eastern regional leaders and further discussions in security in western europe. >> reporter: we are live in kiev and we have been listening to what sergei fedorov is saying and what else did he have to say? >> he is talking about diplomacy but i think what is really crucial here is he believes that moscow or ukraine should implement the r

these are groups that are based here in tripoli. these are some of the most powerful militias in the country and other armed groups from tripoli. for months now, these groups have threatened to attack a gmc, to overthrow it, and for months the political polarization here in this country between two main political camps, on one side and the more liberal ones have reached its highest levels. tensions have been running between these two camps in parliament, but the threat of violence has also been looming because both sides who are involved in the power struggle have powerful militias that are backing them. and also last night, we heard a dangerous statement coming from a commander saying he was speaking on behalf of the self-declared libyan national army saying they were pretty much dismissing parliament. it's not clear how this will be enforced or if it will. this self-declared libyan national army is also the groups we saw launch attacks on friday in the eastern city of benghazi. it was led by this retired general you referred to, a

unrest and lawlessness has spread to tripoli. two killed, dozens injured when those loyal stormed parliament. they are taking on some of the country's hard-lined militias, accusing the government of not doing enough. the military says khalifa haftar's actions amount to a coup. we have this report from tripoli -- >> reporter: a bracen attack on the libyan parliament. libya turned into a war zone. antitank weapons were used. plumes of black smoke rose in the air. according to witnesses, gunmen driving military vehicles stormed the g.n.c. building, saying they were members of the powerful brigade with bases near the airport. that attack seems to be linked to unrest in benghazi. a spokesman for the self-declared libyan national army told al jazeera that they declared an open war on the government for supporting what they called extremists and terrorists. on friday forces loyal to khalifa haftar attacked the bases of two militias in benghazi. the fighting left dozens dead. general khalifa haftar said he was forced to act. >> translati

. >>> seeking a better life - dozens of bodies discovered off tripoli after a boat carrying african migrants go down. >>> how drones could put an end to airport delays around the world. >>> first, pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine are claiming a massive victory after sunday's referendum on autonomy. an overwhelming majority of those who voted favour the move. final results are expected in the coming hours, as e.u. foreign minister meet in brussels to discuss the crisis. let's cross to moscow - foreign minister sergei lavrov may be speaking later. in the meantime. let's go to kim vern 'em, and she is hive in kiev. so the russian pro-separatists in donetsk have claimed this overwhelming victory. what are they going to do now? >> well, that is the question. they'll be listening to the press conference. we are about to hear from sergei lavrov, and vladimir putin, at some point, will make a statement about the referendum. the results are not surprising. we are hearing 89.7% of people who voted in donetsk and 94% of people who voted in lugansk voted yes, they'd like to see a self-state. i

mary fitzgerald, described the situation in tripoli, especially for an audience that is not familiarwith lidia right now at all, except perhaps the benghazi controversy in washington, d.c. >> the mood in tripoli right now is extremely tense, with most of the and describing the current situation as the most serious juncture that libya has found itself insist the ousting of muammar gaddafi in 2011. there's a real sense of apprehension here. there is also a sense of people choosing sides. libya has suffered from increasing polarization in recent months. and that seems to be coming to some kind of crescendo. several different dynamics that have been rolling in recent months, peer to be -- appear to be coming to a head with the events in the last week. >> in terms of the existing parliament, mary fitzgerald, it has been characterized as islamist-dominated, but it has many divisions with in it. can you talk about some of those divisions, especially the role of the party connected to the muslim brotherhood? >> the national congress was elected in libya's first elections in decades in july 2

let's go to tripoli. what are you hearing off of this new tragedy off of the coast of libya? >> reporter: well getting two versions of this incident. now, as you mentioned, according to a spokesperson for the libyan navy, more than 20 bodies were recovered in an area called albaguldi east of tripoli. they belong to different african countries. now, another spokesperson for the ministry of interior says the number of recovered bodies reached up to 40. so, now, we clearly are getting two conflicting reports with regards to the death toll. now, the whole incident started on friday when a boat carrying around 130 immigrants, illegal immigrants, their boat capsized and then the navy rescued about 52 people and about 74 people remain missing. so this probably explains why on sunday we are seeing the bodies being watched toward the tripoli coast. >> the libyan government has been asking for help from the eu to deal with the issue of illegal migrants >> reporter: yes. it has, and it's been doing so for the last three years even after the very fall of colonel gadaffi and his regime. l

it was so bad in tripoli they had to evacuate the embassy in tripoli.again, did they try to do what they were ordered to do? were they ordered to engage in benghazi? the answer was no. that is the concern. general, is there anything you would want to further comment n? >> no, sir, i would not. >> what about the idea at the fast team is getting ready to deploy? people are dead. we are in a fight. why did the fast team have to change clothes out of their military uniforms and into civilian clothes? do you have any knowledge that? >> i was not directly related in, but watched the onversation. there was a sensitivity to the impact-- >> what do you think about t? >> sir, at that point in time, some must have thought it was a great idea to have marines out of uniform to go in there. i would want marines in uniform -- >> why do they wear the uniform? >> because without saying the word, it is the visual symbol of the united states of america, the marine corps, and what it has represented. >> the outrage is we have got them to fight. somebody at the state depart

>> well the mood in tripoli is calm but tense. quite a bit of apprehension as to what may unfold later in the day. for now, there have beenñooç no clashes today as fighting happened in several parts of the city yesterday. in relation to congress, it's not sitting today. congress members i spoke to earlier this morning say they expect to vote on the prime minister cabinet to get the vote of confidence tomorrow as planned. that's the state of play right now. indeed, photographs have emerged of that prime minister at the opening of the construction exhibition here in tripoli just a couple of hours ago. for now, despite the call yesterday by the militia who stormed the parliament, they're called for the parole management to be resolved. for now, congress is saying it's still very much in place. the government indeed yesterday, the government minister said the government is still in control. >> what sort of support without a militia has the general had to have? >> it's very difficult to pin down the support. in february, announcement c

the situation in tripoli is calm, however, it is very tense. the crisis that has been going on for the past three dice that started in bengahzi and moved on to tripoli really highlights the week position for the libyan government. those militias are very powerful. they are loyal to their own commanders. some of those militias inter grateintegrated into the milita. it's a very chaotic situation. >> what is behind the fighting and why now? >> well, the general said this is his way of waging a war against the general congress, the parliament is supporting terrorist and extremists. these are his words. why these targeting the gnc that takes us back to february. he described that gnc has lost it's mandate, of this it has no legitimacy. he's calling on his supporters for the libyan army to join his movement. it depends on who you speak to. some analysts say that he is backed by an attorne foreign aga trying to replicate the events in egypt in which the military overthrew the government. we speak with officials here. they say that they are really tryi

first to tripoli, in libya. tell us more about what happened. >> reporter: yes, well, to begin with the libyan government had not issued a statement as yet. now, with regards to the release of mohammed ledr. >> s. >> he arrived yesterday. then he moved to benghazi. he reached his family home and then, only then, the jordanian ambassador was released. we understand from sources within the family close to the brother of mr al-driss. >>, suspected of being the man behind the kidnapping of the ambassador. he said the mediators were trying very hard to have some sort of an exchange where the brother refused, citing that unless jordan releases his brother, and he reaches his mother's lap, the jordanian ambassador will never be released. this is what happened because the jordanian ambassador, as i understand. >> thank you. nisrene is live. tell us more about the background to this. >> well, according to the foreign ministry the ambassador may have arrived at the timing, 7:15 g.m. t, a few minutes ago. this exchange dea

the government in tripoli describes the attack as an attempted coup. we are joined from the libyan capital tril. tell us about brb trip rsh sh -- from tripoli. tell us more about what is going on in benghazi? >>. >> reporter: the situation in benghazi is calm. there's a growing sense of anticipation and fear. we understand that the attacking force has retreated outside of the city. we also heard reports that those forces that attacked different races in benghazi retreated to a town, the stronghold for retired general hall eacha lasta. we don't know -- halifa hafta. we don't know if he's there, but they retreated 90km east of benghazi. the government in tripoli issued a statement, a harsh statement describing the events that took place in benghazi as a coup attempt, not only against the legitimacy of the government and the german national coup, but against the resolution of february 17th that toppled colonel muammar gaddafi. >> this is being taken seriously with the acting prime minister, talking of this being considered serious enough to constitute an

gunmen launch attack on parliament on tripoli on sunday and demanded its suspension, an airport in thetern city of benghazi came under rocket attack early on monday. dozens have been injured in the violence, many of them are citizens and the man at the center of the unrest is a man vowed to end hard line malitia groups in benghazi and once a top leader for gaddafi and later fought to topple him in the 2011 u upz -- up raising and they say the actions relate to a coup and we are in tripoli and how is the government handling this, omar? >> reporter: the caretaker government remains very weak and incapable of reigning in the different malitia and rebel groups in libya. when it comes to events taking place for the last two or three days in benghazi and tripoli the government is putting on a brave face and controlling the situation and libya has a political problem as well as a security problem. the gnc is deeply divided along political and regional lines when it comes to security. the government is very week and it lacks a professional army that can enforce law an order but the government

you've followed the fighting in tripoli today. it's been ongoing in benghazi.here's been a long-term fight against the militiaed in benghazi. looks like the same thing is happening in tripoli now. how do you read the situation there? >> what it looks like is this general who has created this army of his own, a large militia that seems to be pretty efficient, first he has an offensive in benghazi, then an offensive in tripoli. he may be trying to establish some kind of order. he's an interesting character. he lived in the united states for two decades in northern virginia. >> right. >> and many people think he was in some weighed alied with the u.s. government at some point. >> they claim to be allied with the cia. >> maybe they were. >> maybe they were. maybe they have a point. the u.s. had great influence when this all first happened and then sadly chris stevens was killed there the u.s. ambassador. does the u.s. have cards to play here? does the u.s. have some arrows in its quiver? >> not many. we come up with the situation, the united states does not want to

in italy -- >> tripoli is not in italy. it's in libya. >> i know, tripoli, libya and other bases like in italy like you mentioned to benghazi would be support in everything they needed. >> all they needed was an f-16 to fly over the people -- >> a republican chairman. >> i don't want to talk -- >> that it could not have been done. >> oh, really? >> yes. >> really? i'm going to tell you something. panetta and dempson lied and this accountability is nothing but hogwash. we'll have you back on when trey gouty does the hearing. >> looking forward to it. >> now the results of tonight's polls, should va secretary shinseki resign? kevin says no, let him get sick and try to get treatment. sheldon says the last word, it's sad what a vet would do to other vets. time for him to go and never come back. you come back next week. that's it for us tonight. bye. now. you got to love a teleprompter, right? tonight on huckabee. nearly 300 girls abducted and forced to convert to islam as poll tegzs and celebrities tweet support for their safe

and we go live in the capital tripoli. i believe it's started now. >> i think you are breaking up and i couldn't hear you properly. >> i'm just asking about the effect and what we can expect. >> yes, it has. for over an hour or so. we saw muammar gaddafi son standing in the dock in his prison cell, and the court held via video link. the judge asked him. the audio was not clear. he didn't know what he said. we do understand that the judge as called on all defendants to prepare their lawyers, if not, the court will £lawyers for them. some of the lawyers that took the chance to speak where demanding the court and the prosecution to give them the evidence and file against all the defendants to study it. this case is one of the biggest in the history of libya, and we understand that there are 200 witnesses, and some 40,000 pages of evidence. they want to have a look on those evidence against the defendants. >> amnesty international is saying that there's no way this can be a fair trial considering the fact that it is being cond

amid a resurgence of violence in tripoli. the u.s. military now positioning additional troops and equipment in the region in case the state department calls for help. national security correspondent jennifer griffin live for us at the pentagon. what assets has the u.s. military pre-positioned to help in the event of an evacuation? >> gretchen, the defense department has now pre-positioned eight ospreys capable of vertical lift-off. the u.s. military has also pre-positioned in italy 250 marines as part of a rapid reaction force created after the benghazi attack in 2012. state department spokesman jen psaki said moments ago, no decision had been taken yet to evacuate the embassy in the libyan capital, tripoli. >> this movement is not a military coup in the conventional sense. this is what we reject. this is outdated. >> i think i just stated pretty clearly we don't condone or support his activities nor have we assisted -- >> that was jen psaki speaking of the moammar gadhafi era general who's just returned to libya and is leading the fa

i am not going back to tripoli. i have had enough >> translator: we are putting our blood in our hands here and in syria. if we die, god will have mercy on us >> reporter: they are not alone. about 140 syrians were caught last week while waiting for the smugglers' boat. they refuse to talk, hiding their faces because they fear for their families in syria. they fled the fighting in their country and now flee the violence in misi can't. some pay smuggers to be taken to lampadusa. most know they could drown on their journey. this man said he will take his little girl and pregnant wife with him. he says it's worth the risk. >> these illegal immigrants are being released t. they have been kept here for four days. now they are released after signing a piece of paper that guarantees they will not attempt to cross to europe again. >> reporter: >> reporter: the town of choice for smuggle, the nor'easter pointed to italy, depending upon the weather, the crossing to lampadusa takes less than 10 hours. local officials say for p

. >>> one day after gunmen stormed the parliament building in tripoli. a former general is claiming responsibility as part of a self imposed mandate to rid libya. >> it is sending reinforcements to protect the outskirts of tripoli as well as different areas within the capitol. this also applies to the eastern city of bengahzi. now a source close to the head of the national congress gave forces made of former. rebels stationed in the center as well as western libya. you have a sense that the government is taking these incidents and the forces the attacking forces who are loyal to retired general very seriously. now what this crisis highlights is the fact that libya is very chaotic. the government is very weak. you have these political divisions within the general national congress as well as the government is very weak. it lacks the military abilities to rein in powerful militia groups that are acting in impunity since the toppling of muammar qaddafi. some libyans are very worried because they say this is the beginning of wider divisions that could lead l

dozens of bosgraafs off of tripoli and they believe they are migrants who sank two days ago and manytill missing and we have this report from tripoli and a warning that some viewers may find the pictures disturbing. >> reporter: attempt to reach europe and another tragedy followed by the bodies of dozens of immigrants retrieved from the open sea and police patrol, searching for more bodies. the final death toll is unclear. the navy says the incident happened on friday when a boat carrying 130 illegal immigrants from different african countries sank east of tripoli and says 52 people were rescued then and 74 missing and the spokesman insists only 20 bodies were found. health officials say they need help. >> translator: we had 48 dead bodies in vans and no hospital to receive them. i call upon ministry of help to find a morgue and mercy of justice to allow us to bury the bodies and it's causing pollution and disease. >> reporter: help from the eu to curb the flow of illegal immigrants, the country is in chaos after the fall of gaddafi's regime and the government is struggling to reign

. >>> we are in tripoli. one recent development, omar, is libyan air force or report there are reports that libyan air force base has decided to join forces with this retired general. is that significant, if true? >> reporter: that is very significant because that air base in eastern libya is considered one of the biggest in the eastern--in the entire country. i did speak to a spokesperson who confirmed the news that we have a lot of weapons and fighter jets. however, the answers to the libyan government and the libyan defense ministry said that the base is still under the control of the libyan army. the legitimate libyan army. stephen, i need to give you breaking. we just received this statement from the government. it's basically is an initiative sent to the general national congress to end the crisis. it has ten points. i won't go through all of them, but i'll have to translate to you some of what is being said. it said libya is entering a critical time, and has responsibility to the nation. it suggests th

it did show regularments to protect the outskirts of tripoli as well as other areas within the capitol. this also applies to the eastern city of benghazi. now a source close to the head of the general national congress gave orders to the forces that are called the shield of libya. that force is made of former rebels, they are stationed in the center as well as western libya. so you have a sense that the government is taking these incidents and the forces, the attacking forces who are loyal to retired general, very seriously. what this crisis highlights is that libya is very chaotic. the government is very weak. you have deep political divisions within the general national congress as well as the government is very weak. it lacks the military abilities to rein in powerful militia groups that are acting are with impunity. they say this is the beginning of wider divisions that could lead libya to civil war. >>> 25-year-oldgrad student convicted two weeks ago of assaulting a new york city police officer back in 2012. mcmillan elbowed the officer in the face but says it was a reflex when th

the government maintains this is not connected to the clashes in tripoli. thousands are continuing to evacuate their homes in the balkans. three months worth of rain have hit the region in three days prompting the worst floods there in recorded history. here's more from our team on the ground. >> these are the first images of the town worst hit in the serbian floods of the last few days. in low areas, the water is more than five meters deep. since sunday, there has been a steady decline. rescue teams are now evacuating those who could not be reached by helicopter just two days ago. >> my god, it was terrible. we stayed in the flat all the time. now i'm going back there. fear, this was fear. >> police are patrolling out to bring supplies to the remaining locals. some of the rescuers have not slept for 48 hours. they distribute food, water, and baby supplies. >> we don't have medicine. >> do you have water? nded?ome of you wou >> no, but we need alcohol to sanitize. the building smells bad. >> volunteers are helping to evacuate the elderly and sick were taken

stefanie dekker frorps tripoli -- reports from tripoli. >> reporter: these are the libyan central shield forces, headed at the request of the general national congress to protect the capital. >> translation: we have been negotiating with all parties and are exerting every effort to calm things down. we want to ensure security inside the capital. >> reporter: it follows an attack on the g.n.c. by two militias inspired by the general. he launched a campaign to rid libya of terrorists, groups carrying out killings on members of the security forces and judiciary. he reappeared on saturday, saying he and supporters will continue their mission. >> translation: there is no time back. the soldiers of the national army will not return to their barracks and homes. >> reporter: the general wants a judicial body set up to run the country until elections in june. the newly elected prime minister says he'll go ahead with the presentation of his parliament for parliamentary approval on sunday. >> who knows how the next few days will play out. what is clear is libyans are exhausted and fed up. they want

if you don't follow me already, follow me on twitter to the shores of tripoli, b. i get out -- in fact, you know, if i go to misrata, they say you have been to misrata twice and you've only seen us once. we do plan things. we go out -- libya has some fabulous sights. five world heritage sights. i have to put in a pitch. it has amazing weather. it has fantastic fish. you know, it's got so much to offer, and we do get out, but it's limbed to the west. we do not get out to benghazi. i hope eventually will be able to. we can't travel on a dime. >> if i may, so the americans who are very interested in tourism in libya -- >> wouldn't do it right now. >> infrastructure. >> it's a precarious situation. how much does a big mac cost? i have the 911 standard which is if you go as a tourist to any country in the world and something happens to you, if you call 911, what do you get for it? you know, if you're in iceland, germany, uk, u.s., a lot of places, you're going to get quite a bit. if you're in libya, you're going to keep dialing and, you know, if you know people, they wi

we are live in tripoli. plus... >> i'm reporting from the jordanian refugee camp - how they are trying to improve security in the world's largest refugee camp for syrians >>> another five years in office - jacob zuma declared the winner of south africa's election. >>> first polling stations in parts of eastern ukraine are open as separatists hold a referendum on self rule. those in areas under separatist control will be able to vote, in donetsk and luhansk. let's cross to dooun esque. tell us what is the wording. what is asked on the ballot paper? >> what is being asked here at the polling station in donetsk and the region and lugansk is whether the people favour self-rule. but think about it. that word, self-rule, is home to different interpretations. the feeling is the posing of the question, the wording has been made coy in order to allow for the there's a widespread variety of opinion, hard liners that would like to rush into the control of russia and others thinking it should remain the east of ukraine,

cia station chief in tripoli, mr.hairman, and for those who do not know what that new word means, he repeated it again, not an escalation of protest. this is someone in libya at the time. says video had nothing to do with it. now we go to dod, military. what evidence did you have that this was an escalation of a protest rooted in spontaneity it that got out of control and resulted in the murder of our fellow americans? did the military have any evidence supporting the video narrative? >> no, sir. >> that is what is so confounding, mr. chairman, is the state department knew it was not a video, the cia knew it was not a video, and for those who are a little bit slow, they repeated the word not twice, the military knew it had nothing to do with a video, but that brings us to the white house come and i know, mr. chairman, initially we were told that the white house had nothing to do with the drafting points, that mike was the one who sanitized those, and change the word from attack the demonstration to did whatever he cou

. >>> heavily armed gunmen stormed libya's building in parliament in tripoli. gunmen shut down the streets. former general khalifa haftar is claiming responsibility for the attack. he says his libyan national army is committed to wiping out militia groups that have been assassinating prominent leaders. we have this report from tripoli. >> reporter: it was a brazen attack against the general national congress. witnesses near the area said that fighters who are members of the brigade stormed the general national congress. there were sounds of heavy fire, heavy machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and plumes of smoke. in respect a number of cars set ablaze. after the attack ended there were clashes in other parts of the capital. the situation remained very, very tense. we understand that this attack is related to the unrest that is taking place in benghazi. the attackers claimed that they were loyal to the retired general khalifa haftar. general khalifa haftar declared an open war on what he called armed militias and terrorist groups that are based in benghazi.

armed gunmen attacked the capital in tripoli and heavy gunfights and explosions were heard across the city in fighting that has now killed at least 70 people since it started on friday. the fighting is between sources loyal to a former libyan general who now commands his own military and the central government army. former general khalifa haftar says he wants to purge the libyan government of islamic extremists and wants a strong and decisive central government. libya is calling the attack an attempted coup. they have declared a no-fly zone over libya as the violence continues. sings libya's backed up revolution, the country has been in constant turmoil. it has failed to draw up constitution and has seen several leaders resign. large parts of the country are controlled by militias, and the presence of al qaeda-linked militants is on the rise. now, this rebellion by the renegade general is going to further challenge the government and its ability to control the country. it's also going to create one more crisis for the obama administration in an already troubled region. lester? >> ayma

if you don't follow me already, follow me on twitter to the shores of tripoli, b. i get out -- in fact, you know, if i go to misrata, they say you have been to misrata twice and you've only seen us once. we do plan things. we go out -- libya has some fabulous sights. five world heritage sights. i have to put in a pitch. it has amazing weather. it has fantastic fish. you know, it's got so much to offer, and we do get out, but it's limbed to the west. we do not get out to benghazi. i hope eventually will be able to. we can't travel on a dime. >> if i may, so the americans who are very interested in tourism in libya -- >> wouldn't do it right now. >> infrastructure. >> it's a precarious situation. how much does a big mac cost? i have the 911 standard which is if you go as a tourist to any country in the world and something happens to you, if you call 911, what do you get for it? you know, if you're in iceland, germany, uk, u.s., a lot of places, you're going to get quite a bit. if you're in libya, you're going to keep dialing and, you know, if you know people, they wi

embassy in tripoli after the fall of gaddafi. we appreciate all of our witnesses taking time to testify and enlighten the public about the situation in libya and the effects of u.s. decisions. in addition to pursuing the relevant information about the military's involvement in libya, we continue to receive documents from the state department. since late march alone, we have received over 3200 new documents, many of which have never been seen before by anyone outside of the administration, and all of which -- and i repeat -- all of which should have been turned over more than a year and a half ago when the committee launched its investigation. some of these documents, which were brought to light only days ago three request through a request by the organization called judicial watch, show a direct white house role outside -- i will repeat this -- the documents from judicial watch which were pursuant to our request more than a year and a half ago show a direct white house role outside of talking points prepared by the intelligence c

. >> reporter: saudi arabia and algeria have closed embassys in tripoli and italy is ready to evacuatecitizens and embassy staff. there are fears the country could slide into a civil war with libya and the latest senior officer to switch sides against the government and we report from tripoli. >> reporter: dramatic twist this libya as the commander of special forces switched sides, speaking in benghazi he says he is joining forces with retired general. >> translator: the libya special forces declared because of the emergence of terrorist groups kidnapping and destabilizing our security we will stand with the will of the people and join the battle of dignity under the leadership of the national army. >> the self declared libyan national army declared open war on what is called extremist and terrorists. and they accused the general national congress of supporting extreme groups. a powerful groups in benghazi accused the general of staging an attempted coup and they will fight against him. >> translator: they have been trying to destabilize the country for a while. the latest coup and the

and release of the ambassador to tripoli and he was kidnapped by gunmen in libya last move and freedy and has now arrived home. early jordan released the prisoner and he had been serving a life sentence for a planned suicide attack on an international airport and we are in tripoli with the latest on where he is now. >> reporter: the family of the libyan prisoner has confirmed their son did arrive to tripoli on monday. and then he was moved to benghazi and then the jordan ambassador we understand was released. we also understand from sources within the family the negotiations was based on the fact that first the jordianians will release the prisoner and then he will be set free and this is not ideal for jordan and puts libya's image into question because the government is weak and insecurity and harming libya's image. >> reporter: more on our top story in the search for the school girls kidnapped by nigerian rebels boko haram and human rights groups say nigerian government is partly to blame for the growing instability in the country. last year human rights watch said the government f

this as fierce fighting erupts throughout tripoli. we get more now from pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> reporter: john, christine, with violence rising every day in libya, the question now, is that country falling into civil war? and if it is, can the u.s. embassy remain open, can diplomats stay on the job? if the violence gets any worse, the state department is prepared to evacuate the 200 or so americans that are there. a package of heavily armed marines waiting just to the north in italy across the mediterranean. about 250 marines equipped with eight v-22 aircraft that can fly very quickly to italy, they are on a two-hour string. what does that mean? that means if the evacuation order comes, they will be in the air and on their way to libya within two hours or less. just a couple of years after the disaster in benghazi, the administration is taking no chances. it has the troops and the firepower ready to go to get americans out of libya if it comes to that. john, christine? >> barbara starr, thank you for that. >>> the sta

stephanie decker reports from tripoli. >> reporter: this court yard has seen it all. music and drinks with omar gaddafi and forced closures when he was in power and now a period of uncertainty. everybody has an opinion on the new government and the body that elected it, the general national congress. >> translator: the gnc's mandate expired in february. they were illegitimate. their objectives are not for the good of the country. the people protested to end the gnc, but unfortunately they have military brigades protecting them and we don't want to get involved in a sea of blood. >> reporter: the city was tense with a vote of confidence on sunday with heavy security protecting the meeting. it took around seven hours to get enough general national congress members into the building just to be able to legally start the vote. in the end, it did pass, but it's a decision that is proving controversial. many gnc members decided to stay away in protest. >> translator: what happened from the beginning was unconstitutional. the prime minister needed 120 votes. he only got 113.

one for tripoli and one for benghazi. croatia was asked to move to italy and wait for instructions. and third a special operation unit in the united states was dispatched to the region. this was order 2-4 hours after the attack. is it your opinion it could have been done sooner, more of it should have been done or you deny it happening? >> my belief has to do with we should have continued to move forward with whatever forces we were going to move forward with. the timeline and what happened there was in the operation channels. what i am looking at is the future and how we chose to respond in the future needs to be along the lines of the military feeling empowered to take action under the authorities it has. so that it can move forward and do that when the capabilities exist. >> i want to read you the conclusion of the chairman of the committee. buck mccann. who conducted former briefings and saw that report. he said quote i am pretty well satisfied that given with the troops were how quickly the thing all happened and how

most powerful brigade, still control many areas across southern tripoli the capitol. it was responsible for sunday's attack on parliament. it blames religious hard liners, for not controlling lawlessness across the country. men fought against armed groups and in the eastern city of benghazi at the weekend killing more than 80 people. adding to libya's instability, several transcribed have declared regional autonomy and want more oil money. libya's had three prime ministers since march. so omar, very difficult political situation, three prime ministers since march, demanding the government hold elections, do you think that will a new government be able to rein in these new militias? >> i don't think any new government can. and that's why we had the three previous prim prime ministers lg their post. sceangs what you have is a very weak government with no ability or the capability to rein in those militias. any government that takes power in tripoli will try to keep things calm, rather than leading to it a level where everything explodes. now this care taker government h

they are there to assist our embassy personnel in tripoli. right now, no request for that, the embassy is still open and operating. we learned a lot from benghazi and one of the lessons was, we do need to make sure we have forces that are agile quick and ready to respond in any case like this. >> what about the bigger picture inside libya? the report that general hafti, the opposition general, fieding fighting the forces that are there. hafta lived in virginia for a long time. is the pentagon in contact with him? >> not that i'm aware of, antonio. we urge all parties to stop the violence and to try to settle the differences there in a peaceful diplomatic way. it's not helping anybody, certainly not helping the libyan people to have all this fighting going on. but from a u.s. military point, we need to make sure the military is ready for those who need us. >> you are closely monitoring the ukraine-russian border in advance of the may 25th elections coming up there in ukraine. vladimir putin again said his forces are pulling back and on their b