Libya Updates 6/12/17

Iraq and Libya are harder the second time
2/21/16

In the fall of 2008, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) cautioned:

If we withdraw prematurely from Iraq, al Qaeda in Iraq will survive, proclaim victory and continue to provoke sectarian tensions that, while they have been subdued by the success of the surge, still exist, as various factions of Sunni and Shi’a have yet to move beyond their ancient hatreds, and are ripe for provocation by al Qaeda. Civil war in Iraq could easily descend into genocide, and destabilize the entire region as neighboring powers come to the aid of their favored factions. I believe a reckless and premature withdrawal would be a terrible defeat for our security interests and our values. Iran will also view our premature withdrawal as a victory, and the biggest state supporter of terrorists, a country with nuclear ambitions and a stated desire to destroy the State of Israel, will see its influence in the Middle East grow significantly.

He was remarkably accurate.

[link to www.washingtonpost.com (secure)]

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Libyan dilemma: Military intervention may drive locals into ISIS arms
2/21/16

RT: If Libya's UN backed government is approved by parliament, do you think its leaders will last and be effective?

JG: Let’s not forget the UN doesn’t exactly do what people thought it would do in 1945. The UN at best can provide effective peace monitoring, but it is not a peace building organization. You may get permission from the parliament but the only recognized parliament is that from the government in Tobruk in eastern Libya. There is another parliament in Tripoli. Then there are all these other players. The idea of the UN being able to cobble together all of this and make it all work in some kind of agreed fashion is way beyond the UN’s capacities. You need some stronger force, much stronger incentive than the UN can supply to take these different players and cobble them together to create a working nation. What does that mean? Do you bring back a strong man? But look what happened to Gaddafi? This is the problem when you decapitate nations like Iraq, Syria or Libya. You risk chaos. And once you have that kind of chaos, the UN is pretty powerless to stop it with military force.

[link to www.rt.com (secure)]

US air strike on Libya goes horribly wrong
2/21/16

The Friday attack, which has been condemned by Libya's internationally recognised government, targeted a jihadist training camp near the Libyan coastal city of Sabratha, killing dozens of people.

But Belgrade said the victims of the strike also included two employees from its embassy in Libya, who were taken hostage on November 8 in Sabratha from a convoy of cars heading to the Tunisian border.

[link to www.news24.com]

Army claims advances in Libyan cities of Benghazi and Ajdabiya
2/21/16

Military forces loyal to Libya’s eastern government said on Sunday they had pushed back Islamist fighters in several areas of Benghazi, seizing the strategic port of Marisa.

The Libyan National Army said it had also taken control of the town of Ajdabiya, about 150 km (90 miles) south of Benghazi, another city where it has been battling Islamist groups.

[link to www.euronews.com]

UN envoy in Tobruk to 'help' with Libya unity govt vote
2/21/16

UN envoy Martin Kobler travelled to the seat of Libya's internationally recognised parliament Sunday to "help" with a vote of confidence on a national unity government for the crisis-torn country.

"The eyes of the people of Libya are on Tobruk. They expect a GNA. I am here in Tobruk today to help, not to interfere," Kobler tweeted in reference to the hard-fought formation of a government of national unity.

[link to www.timeslive.co.za]

Libya unity vote on Tuesday
2/22/16

Benghazi - Libya's internationally recognised parliament is expected to hold a vote of confidence on Tuesday on a UN-backed national unity government for the conflict-ridden North African nation, a lawmaker said.

Deputy Aisha al-Aquri said the legislature wrapped up debate on Monday on the line-up proposed by a presidential council and would meet again on Tuesday "to approve the national unity government".

[link to www.news24.com]

Libya: Tripoli Welcomes Airstrike, Tobruk Condemns & Warns against Foreign Intervention
2/22/16

A statement released by the Tobruk-based government warned against any foreign airstrikes “without any coordination or consultation with the interim Libyan government” before underlining that “any interference, similar to the one that has taken place (on Friday by the US) will be considered an open and flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Libyan State and international law”

[link to northafricapost.com]

Lack of quorum scuppers Libya confidence vote
2/23/16

Benghazi (Libya) (AFP) - Libya's internationally recognised parliament was unable to hold a vote of confidence in the UN-backed unity government Tuesday because it lacked a quorum, amid concerns over increasing jihadist expansion.

"The required quorum (89 members of parliament) was not reached, so the president of the chamber adjourned the session," MP Mohamed al-Abbani told AFP.

Another parliamentarian, Ali Al-Qaidi, confirmed that "the necessary quorum was not reached, and the session for the vote was adjourned until next week".

[link to news.yahoo.com]

UN Aid Official: Funds for Libya Only Left Till End of March
2/22/16

A U.N. official is appealing to Arab League delegates for more funding for Libya, saying the current funds available for the violence-wracked North Africa country will barely last till the end of March.

[link to abcnews.go.com]

Italy okays 'protective' US drone strikes on Libya from Sicily
2/23/16

Italy has agreed that US forces can use an airbase in Sicily to launch drone strikes against Islamic State targets in Libya on a case-by-case basis, Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti said in an interview published on Tuesday.

Pinotti told the daily Il Messaggero that any strikes launched from the Sigonella base would be limited to operations required to protect US and allied personnel and assets involved in combatting the Islamic State group in Libya and elsewhere.

She said every strike would be subject to an individual authorisation request to the Italian government and that they would only be used as a "last resort".

[link to www.middleeasteye.net]

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I remember back in 1986, when Italy allowed it's bases to be used for the Reagan-ordered attack on Gaddafi. I was part of that action. At the time, of course, I didn't have the same perspective on things that I do now.
I believed then that we were always 'justified' to strike at whoever we want, and those in power were more intelligent than we were, and that they had our best interests at heart.
Not anymore. Not even close. How times change.

ISIS storms Libya security office, beheads 12
2/24/16

CAIRO -- Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) affiliates in Libya briefly took over the security headquarters in the western city of Sabratha, killing and beheading 12 security officers before being driven out early Wednesday morning, two city security officials said. The incident highlighted the enduring presence and unpredictable striking power of the local ISIS militants in this strategic city which serves as a hub for migrants heading to Europe.

[link to www.cbsnews.com]
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[link to www.newsweek.com]
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Local Libyan forces clear Sabratha of Daesh terrorists
2/24/16

Sabratha's municipal council said in a statement on Wednesday that the fighting broke out after local brigades attacked suspected Daesh hideouts 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of the city.

The Daesh elements then "took advantage of the security vacuum downtown and spread out all over the city" before they were forced out by the local brigades, the statement added.

[link to www.presstv.ir]

Report: French Special Forces Waging 'Secret War' in Libya
2/24/16

PARIS—French special forces and intelligence commandos are engaged in covert operations against Islamic State militants in Libya in conjunction with the United States and Britain, the French newspaper Le Monde reported on Wednesday.

It said President Francois Hollande had authorized "unofficial military action" by both an elite armed forces unit and the covert action service of the DGSE intelligence agency in the conflict-ridden North African state, which has two rival governments and largely ungoverned desert spaces.

[link to www.voanews.com]

Libyan forces wrestle Benghazi from militant grasp
2/24/16

People took to the streets of al-Laithi - once Benghazi's most populous district - to celebrate the victory, carrying banners and Libyan flags.
Residents were stopped from entering certain parts of the neighborhood as loyalist forces continued to comb buildings for booby traps.

[link to www.dw.com]

Improvement has not been achieved in Libya - Russian deputy foreign minister
Interfax

he Libyan crisis should be resolved in coordination with the country's authorities, and another military intervention can destroy Libya's statehood and turn it into a terrorist bridgehead

Read more: [link to sputniknews.com]

A wee bit late to worry about that. The first 'intervention' took care of that job.

Salvaging Mrs. Clinton’s Legacy in a Shattered Libya
2/25/16

As we have reported, Qaddafi was actually an American ally in the war on terror before he was ousted. Our Citizens’ Commission on Benghazi (CCB) interim report demonstrates how the Obama administration, and Hillary Clinton, decided to back al-Qaeda-linked rebels in Libya instead of holding truce talks with Qaddafi, which could have ended with his abdication and a peaceful transition of power.

The Washington Times also reported that it was Mrs. Clinton who told a Pentagon general to stop communicating with Qaddafi’s son, Saif, and other Qaddafi loyalists seeking a truce after the UN resolution calling for military intervention in Libya was passed on March 17, 2011.

[link to www.aim.org]

Clinton Defends Ongoing Anarchy In Libya: We Are Still In Korea, We Are Still In Germany
2/24/16

'You know, they're a rich country. They have oil. They're not without resources. But they've got to get over their internal disputes. And the United States, Europe, and others are helping them to try to do that, and I think they need some time and support.'

[link to www.realclearpolitics.com]

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Break their country, allow extremists to flourish, and then blame them for not 'getting things together'.

What an ass.

'NATO turned Libya into a destroyed state, not a failed state'
2/25/16

RT: John Kerry has warned that Libya is on the way to becoming a failed state. What prompted him to say this now, do you think?

Sara Flounders: The very groups the US armed and financed the militias they’ve set up, these outrageous “rebel forces” of course not only can’t govern Libya, they can’t even reconcile and have relations with each other. The real failure in Libya was created by US bombs that systematically destroyed the entire infrastructure, especially the water, the irrigation, the electric grid, food services, everything in Libya that the population needed. And the only funds - the money - have been in weapons. So, this is a failed state created by US and NATO systematically, and the destruction of every single government agency which once provided the highest standard of living in Africa, and today - enormous misery. So, it is really not only hypocrisy, these are war criminals and they should be charged as such.

[link to www.rt.com (secure)]

No One’s Going to Be Honest About Libya
2/26/16

In a way, the mainstream debate over Libya is sort of like an exercise in avoiding the passive voice. The Libyan government collapsed. Weapons spread from Nigeria to Syria. People died. You've got your subject and verb, and little about actual responsibility.

[link to reason.com]

Confessions of arrested IS members
2/25/16

According to the Special Deterrence Force (Rada) which captured them in the capital’s eastern suburb of Tajoura, Mohamed Saad Tajuri (alias “Abu Suliman”), the new leader in Sabratha, is from Derna. He says he went to Iraq in 2003. When he returned to Libya he was arrested and jailed in Tripoli by Qaddafi regime for almost seven years until freed in August 2011. He returned to Derna for a while and then he went to Sirte when IS started growing in strength there. He remained, pledging loyalty to the IS. There he met its ”emir” of Tripoli region, Ahmed Saleh Al-Hamali (alias “Abu Abdullah”), “who assigned me to be governor of Sabratha”.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]

Tunisian terrorist Shushan killed in clashes not in US airstrike, sources claim, as government declares Sabratha ISIS-free
2/26/16

39 Sabratha fighters were killed and 101 others injured in clashes against ISIS in the outskirts of the city, the Health Ministry of the Salvation Government said in a press conference on Friday, as the city was declared free of the ISIS organization.
Deputy Minister Khaled Al-Talib said the injuries range from severe to moderate, confirming that 7 of the severely wounded fighters have been sent to Tunisia.
He also indicated that his government is in contact with the Maltese government to receive some of the severely wounded fighters.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry of Salvation Government has declared that Sabratha is now free of the ISIS group.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly]

Salvation Government calls for immediate halt of the atrocious attacks on Libyan cities
2/26/16

The Salvation Government has condemned the heinous atrocities that are taking place in Benghazi, Ajdabia and Derna due to the attacks by renegade General Khalifa Hafter’s forces, pointing that he had brought French commandos to lead the battle from a joint operations room in Benina airbase and help him control Benghazi.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly]

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Haftar is truly one of Libya's men of mystery, at least to me. Who does he really serve now?

Libya deal spoilers could face 'measures': Med ministers
2/26/16

Limassol (Cyprus) (AFP) - Mediterranean foreign ministers said Friday that European countries could take unspecified "measures" against parties in Libya who block a UN-backed unity government initiative for the war-torn nation.

France, meanwhile, has said it would support economic sanctions for those who "knowingly" scupper Libya's political process.

[link to news.yahoo.com]

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???


Someone should be taking 'measures' against those who fucked Libya up in the first place!!!!!!!!
And THEN, they should be going after the proxy trash that certain parties spread all around.
Once they are removed and the real aggressors are kicked out, then Libya can talk of 'unity' again.
But I don't think we'll ever see that happen.

IS claims deadly car bomb in Libya's Benghazi
2/26/16

Benghazi (Libya) (AFP) - A car bomb killed five members of security forces loyal to Libya's recognised government in the eastern city of Benghazi Friday, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

[link to news.yahoo.com]

British 'advisers' deployed to Libya to build anti-Isil cells
2/27/16

Britain has discreetly deployed military advisers to Libya in order to build an army to fight Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant cells in the country, The Sunday Telegraph has been told.
Special forces commandos are said to be working alongside their US counterparts in the city of Misrata to stop the jihadists’ progress in the lawless terrain across the sea from Italy.
Even as diplomats in Washington, London and European capitals push for the formation of a unity government in Libya, US military operatives have begun “giving tactical training” to select local militias, Western officials, US congressional aides and sources on the ground have revealed.

[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]

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Hey, I've seen this somewhere before.

Hafter offers IS surrender deal, warns against taking law into own hands
2/27/16

The head of the Libyan armed forces, General Khalifa Hafter, has offered remaining militant fighters in Benghazi deal under which they will be assured a fair trial if they hand in their weapons and surrender.

The offer was one of two announcements made today in his name. In the other, Statement No. 2, he warned that anyone in the armed forces or pretending to be in the armed forces who took the law into his own hands and attacked the homes of families of militants or suspected militants would be severely punished.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]

Sabratha combing operations continue as IS women fighters reported
2/27/16

Sources in the town say that since the action started on Tuesday, 47 militiamen and armed supporters had been killed, all from Sabratha. Another 101 had been wounded, 83 from Sabratha, 14 from Ajilat, two from Zintan and one each from Jmail and Sorman.

There are no figures of IS casualties. However, for the first time, there are also reports of women IS fighters, at least three of whom are said have been killed.

A usually reliable source in Sabratha had said this morning that largescale fighting in the area ended last night and that while there had also been some clashes involving IS fighters north of the neighbouring town of Ajilat, it too was over. What was happening in Sabratha today, he claimed, was no more than moping-up operations.

However, Sabratha local council said in a statement this afternoon, that the battle was continuing as locals moved to re-establish control over the area. Usually strongly loyal to the Tripoli regime, it also expressed astonishment at the Tripoli defence ministry for claiming that Sabratha was free of IS. It was not, it said, adding that it would take action against anyone sheltering IS fighters.

Ironically, the local council has spent the past few months emphatically denying there was any IS presence in the town.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]

War-torn Libya’s competing zones of influence
2/27/16

Libya has remained in a state of turmoil since a bloody rebellion in early 2011 — part of the “Arab Spring” uprisings — ended with the ouster and death of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of government, one in Tobruk and one in capital Tripoli, each of which boasts its own institutions and military capacities.

The first political camp is the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC) and its affiliated government, led by Prime Minister Khalifa al-Ghweil.

The GNC is a legislative authority, members of which were elected in July of 2012 for two-year terms. In mid-2014, the GNC unilaterally extended its mandate and refused to transfer legislative authority to a newly-elected Council of Representatives.

The 200-member Council of Representatives, for its part, is now based in the eastern city of Tobruk under an “interim” government led by Abdullah al-Thani.

[link to www.newsfultoncounty.com]