Italian defense ministry says soldiers killed at El Alamein died for ‘freedom’; opposition slams far-right government, says troops ‘were sent to die’ by fascists. Italy’s far-right government has sparked wide criticism after celebrating a major World War II battle, praising the defeated fascist soldiers who lost their lives. In a social media post on Wednesday to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the 1942 battle of El Alamein in Egypt, Italy’s Defense ministry paid homage to the Italian soldiers “who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.” It described the Italian and Nazi loss to the Allies as “heroic and tragic.” (…) Thousands of Italians were among those killed or captured in the battle, fought under the fascist regime of dictator Benito Mussolini. The Italian center-left opposition slammed the government’s commemoration, with the Five Star Movement stressing it was “inopportune” to say that Italian troops had fought for freedom. “Italian boys in El Alamein did not fall for our freedom, as ambiguously claimed by the Ministry of Defense, but were sent to die by the fascist government,” Gianfranco Pagliarulo, president of the national partisans’ association, ANPI, said on Thursday.
via timesofisrael: Italy commemorates defeated fascist troops who fought with Nazis in key WWII battle
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