Libya Updates 6/12/17

Egyptian terror attack could be repeated in Libya if LNA not armed: HoR
4/9/17

The House of Representatives (HoR) has again called on the UN to lift its arms embargo on Libya so that the Libyan National Army can prevent terrorist attacks being carried out in the country similar to those in Egypt today. The international community was failing Libya by continuing its arms prohibition the HoR insisted. .

The statement accompanied an HoR message condeming today’s terror attacks on two churches in Egypt.

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

TURI TIME


Marc Turi: The mysterious saga of an Arizona arms dealer
11/20/16

This story, full of spooks and political misdirection, twists the mind. The CIA is involved. Also Bulgarian arms manufacturers, Benghazi terrorists, Libyan rebels and U.S. political operatives.

[link to www.azcentral.com]

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The Obama DOJ was investigating Mr. Turi right up until the election....some believe that the testimony Turi would have given would show the Obama Admins involvement in arming the Libyan resistance that toppled Qaddafi.

The Secrets Behind The Wire – Marc Turi Speaks Out About Hillary Clinton’s Covert Weapons Shipments…
10/11/16

Under the code name “Zero Footprint” Marc Turi originally drew up the plan to coordinate the flow of weapons from the U.S. through the intermediary of Qatar into Libya. Those U.S. weapons ended up in Libya and Syria being used by the enemies of the U.S., specifically al-Qaeda.

In February of 2012 Asst. Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro admitted the State Department had been attempting to relocate and buy-back those weapons since August of 2011. However, on September 11th 2012, while those efforts were still ongoing, the attacks in Benghazi against the U.S. State Department Ambassador Chris Stevens took place, and four Americans were killed.

[link to theconservativetreehouse.com (secure)]

Arms dealer says administration made him scapegoat on Libya operation to 'protect' Clinton
10/11/16

EXCLUSIVE: American arms dealer Marc Turi, in his first television interview since criminal charges against him were dropped, told Fox News that the Obama administration -- with the cooperation of Hillary Clinton’s State Department -- tried and failed to make him the scapegoat for a 2011 covert weapons program to arm Libyan rebels that spun out of control.

“I would say, 100 percent, I was victimized…to somehow discredit me, to throw me under the bus, to do whatever it took to protect their next presidential candidate,” he told Fox News chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge.

[link to www.foxnews.com]

UN chief warns that Libya risks a return to wide conflict
4/14/17

UNITED NATIONS – Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that Libya risks a return to widespread conflict, citing the volatile security situation in Tripoli and fighting in the oil-rich east and elsewhere.

The U.N. chief expressed alarm in a report to the Security Council at the renewed military escalation and ongoing political stalemate in the country.

[link to www.foxnews.com]
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Flashback

Gaddafi's final hours: Nato and the SAS helped rebels drive hunted leader into endgame in a desert drain
10/22/11

By now, the National Transitional Council (NTC) troops had realised that the loyalists were escaping. A small number of lightly armed rebels began to give chase.
To me it seemed like a wild, chaotic situation. But we now know that it had, in fact, been foreseen by the SAS and their special forces allies, who were advising the NTC forces.
British military sources have told The Sunday Telegraph that small teams of SAS soldiers on the ground in Sirte, armed but under strict orders not to get involved, had warned them throughout the siege to be alert to the fleeing of loyalists.

[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]

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So these British SAS soldiers helped the 'freedom fighters' (Western backed rebels) capture and murder Qadaffi. Armed, but ordered not to fight? OK.....

This day in history.....

U.S. Jets Hit ’Terrorist Centers’ in Libya; Reagan Warns of New Attacks If Needed
4/15/86

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, April 15 — The United States conducted a series of air strikes on Monday night against what the White House called ''terrorist centers'' and military bases in Libya.

President Reagan, in a nationally broadcast speech, said the American forces had ''succeeded'' in their mission of retaliating against Libya for what he termed the ''reign of terror'' waged by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, against the United States.

[link to www.nytimes.com]
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I remember this well.

Migrant boats: Thousands saved off Libyan coast over Easter
4/16/17

More than 2,000 people were rescued on Friday and 3,000 on Saturday in dozens of separate rescues, the Italian Coast Guard said.

But at least seven people drowned as aid workers struggled to rescue more than 1,500 migrants in one operation.

[link to www.bbc.com]

3 000 migrants rescued off Libya coast Saturday: NGO
4/16/17

Rome - The Italian coastguard and other boats rescued some 3 000 migrants from unseaworthy boats off the Libyan coast on Saturday, as the good weather pushes the numbers up, a participating NGO said.

[link to www.news24.com]

Rescuers Battle Rough Seas to Save 1800 Stranded Migrants Off Coast of Libya
4/16/17

Rescue workers have been battling for more than 24 hours in a bid to save as many as 1,800 migrants stranded on boats off the coast of Libya, according to charities leading the operation.

The Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) said in a statement they “believe there have been deaths,” but it is not clear how many people have drowned.

[link to ktla.com]

Libya's falling economy and three inactive governments
4/16/17

At the very hour the Libyan 40-year+ ruler Moamar Gaddafi died, Libyans had a very wide grin on their faces. Those in the field, the men and women in the houses, children, and the elderly all had the thought that their country will be greater in time, at least on the economic level.

However, it did not take that long for Libyans to start losing the grin and replace it with an everlasting frown on their faces. A frown that explains a thousand words, which all speak of how disappointed they were in the consecutive governments that took power in Libya since the fall of Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

To all appearances, the disappointment comes from a very deep-rooted cause - conflict for power.

The conflict for power in Libya did not take a political stance and left the rest intact, but rather it took an all-out shape destroying the country's economy and infrastructure all the way through.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]

Gatrani the international community should back Hafter and Serraj must go
4/16/17

Boycotting Presidency Council (PC) member Ali Gatrani has said that Faiez Serraj is no longer worthy of leading a consensus government and the international community should throw its support behind Khalifa Hafter in his “legitimate” battle against terrorism.

Gatrani asserted that Serraj’s call yesterday for international intervention to stop the fighting in the south demonstrated that the PC “has a specific agenda for certain countries, which have strived to control the national decision-making in Libya.” Serraj was allowing outsiders to control Libya’s future.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]
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He's the UN/Western puppet. It's his job.

HoR condemns Serraj’s foreign intervention call
4/16/17

The House of Representatives (HoR) in Tobruk has slammed the “unconstitutional decision” by the Presidency Council (PC) to ask for international help as fighting in southern Libya escalates.

The HoR also said in a statement that Chadian mercenaries were operating against Khalifa Hafter’s Libyan National Army (LNA) in the south. While some of these fighters were on the brink of being arrested, the HoR claimed others had fled home and could be seen “confessing” on Chadian TV stations to what they had done.

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

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I thought you need a 'constitution' before you can call something unconst....oh never mind......

Ghwell’s Libyan National Guard militia joining fighting in south
4/16/17

The Libyan National Guard (LNG) has announced that it is joining the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) and the Misratan Third Force in the south in the fight against the Libyan National Army (LNA).

The LNG militia was formed in February by Khalifa Ghwell, prime minister of Libya Dawn’s sNational Salvation Government.

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

Hafter aide claims LNA has military links with Misratans
4/17/17

There are many social and military contacts between Misrata and tribal elders in the east as well as with the Libyan National Army (LNA) a close aide to armed forces commander-in-chief Khalifa Hafter has claimed.

Abdelbasset Al-Badri has told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram Al-Arabi that Misrata had an important and active role in Libya and could not be ignored.

“We have contacts with many of the sons of Misrata” he said, “and they are the sons of Libya like all other Libyans.”

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

A downbeat Kobler reports to the UN Security Council
4/21/17

UNSMIL chief Martin Kobler has told the UN Security Council in New York that Libyans are no longer clear about their future.

The normally upbeat Kobler admitted that the optimism that followed the December 2015 signing of the Skhirat agreement in Morocco had faded: “Instead I see frustration, disappointment, sometimes anger and often it is justified”.

What he described as the sharp horizon created by the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) had been blurred and the path forward was no longer clear for many.

“Today,” he said, “uncertainty has contributed to fragmentation and dissent, contributing to a dangerous political power vacuum. Violent clashes, social unrest, increasing criminality remain common in too many parts of Libya.”

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

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Poor Marty......not.
Asshole knew there would be a power 'vacuum' (Eureka!) the minute Qadaffi was offed. Tell me again why we tolerate these maggots?

'Defeat ISIS and go home': Trump rejects US role in Libya nation-building
4/20/17

“We need a stable and unified Libya,” the Italian PM said, noting that US Special Forces had taken part in defeating Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the port city of Sirte, but that solving the problem of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Italy and beyond would require nation-building. “The US role in this is critical.”

Trump’s rejection of that role is at odds with his recent actions – launching a missile strike in Syria, escalating tensions with North Korea, and authorizing a review of the nuclear deal with Iran – but in line with his promise during the 2016 presidential campaign.

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

Russian UN ambassador: Lifting arms embargo on Libya is “premature”
4/20/17

The “uncertain” political situation as well as a dire security situation in Libya make any proposals concerning the full or even partial lifting of the arms embargo imposed against the nation “premature,” Russia’s incumbent UN envoy, Pyotr Ilyichev, said, Russia Today wrote.

[link to www.libyanexpress.com]

Richard Lobban: Powers wage new ‘cold war’ in Libya
4/22/17

Strategic thinking focuses on historical trends, the balance of forces, national and economic interests, ideology, naval choke points, diplomacy, information and the military capacity of friends and foes.

So it was in the bipolar Cold War until the 1990s, followed by a descendant multi-polar world, which is now evolving into a precarious new world order that needs strategic recalibration, especially along the southeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.


Obviously, the Suez Canal is a highly strategic choke point.

Oil-addicted global economies make for energy vulnerability. The old cleavage between “communist” versus “capitalist” worlds is surmounted by revivalist extremisms in religion and nationalism. Weapons are widespread. Failed, failing or dictatorial states have thwarted the “Arab Spring” of 2011. Major undersea oil and gas fields are contested by Cyprus, Lebanon and Israel.

[link to www.providencejournal.com]

New Libyan constitution draft blueprinted by CDA accord committee
4/22/17

The accord committee at the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) has devised a new draft for the Libyan long-awaited constitution and has given it the name "A proposal for a concord draft for Libya's constitution," with 195 articles.

The accord committee was formed of 12 members, six of whom were from the CDA members who signed the previous draft in Oman, three others are from the CDA members who boycotted Oman meetings and the remaining three are from the CDA members who did not sign the draft at all.

The newly proposed draft for the constitution came into being after days of out-and-out meetings and discussions and according to the committee, the draft included a number of amendments to the previous one.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]
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They took a bow for the new revolution, but how many of the Libyan people are going to 'tip their hat' to this? No doubt the 'new' one will favor the plunderers.......

Girl hangs herself dead as mysterious suicides sweep eastern Libya
4/23/17

This new suicide case brings the number up to over 10 as announced by the minister of health of the eastern government of Abdullah Al-Thinni, who also ordered pedagogical specialists and psychologists to be in constant contact with the families of the suicide victims and those who were able to survive as well.

Meanwhile, a state of mind-absence is descending on the city of Al-Bayda with different conclusions as to what could be the reason for the growing number of suicides only since the beginning of March 2017, reaching over 11 with the new case, including a nine-year-old child.

[link to www.libyanexpress.com]

Hafter orders absent soldiers to report by 15 May
4/23/17

Khalifa Hafter has given absent members of the armed forces three weeks to report for duty or face the sack.

The armed forces commander-in-chief cited the House of Representatives’ (HoR) Law Number 6 from 2015 which granted a general amnesty to deserters. The final deadline for their return is now 15 May.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]
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Haftar used to serve under Qaddafi.....they became enemies....now look who's front and center.....

Libya's warring sides reach diplomatic breakthrough in Rome
4/24/17

Rome has brokered a diplomatic breakthrough in Libya that has the potential to bring the two main warring sides together in a new political agreement after years of division, fighting and economic misery.

The scale of the breakthrough will be tested later this week, but Italy is hailing a compromise brokered between the presidents of the house of representatives, Ageela Saleh, and the state council, Abdulrahman Sewehli.

The meeting was overseen by the Italian foreign minister, Angelino Alfano, and the Italian ambassador to Libya.

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

Arab Spring: A Research & Study Guide
The Libyan Revolution, F.B.-17 (February 17th)

Protests in Libya began on 15 February, 2011 in front of Benghazi's police headquarters following the arrest of a human rights attorney who represented the “relatives of more than 1,000 prisoners allegedly massacred by security forces in Tripoli’s Abu Salim jail in 1996.” What had began as a series of peaceful demonstrations turned into confrontations which were met with military force. A "Day of Rage" was declared for 17 February by the National Conference for the Libyan Opposition. Libyan military and security forces fired live ammunition on protesters. On 18 February, security forces withdrew from Benghazi after being overwhelmed by protesters—some security personnel also joined the protesters. The protests spread across the country and anti-Gaddafi forces established a provisional government based in Benghazi, called the National Transitional Council with the stated goal to overthrow the Gaddafi government in Tripoli.

[link to guides.library.cornell.edu]

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I don't agree with all of the 'official' assessments or perspectives given, and neither should you. But that doesn't mean I discount them, because there are still sometimes many hard facts and vital info contained therein, that bias doesn't affect.
Use your judgement. Compare what was said, to what was actually done. I always go back and use the articles I've posted here to gauge the progress of many Libyan issues, to keep track of the various players, etc.
I try to provide as much info as I can, and hopefully that has helped.

I only wish I could have started this thread in 2011......

ICC unseals warrant for Libya's Gaddafi-era official
4/25/17

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has unsealed an arrest warrant for Libya's former security chief, accusing him of carrying out war crimes in 2011 to stop opposition against the country's former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The warrant, first issued in 2013 by the ICC, charged Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled with three charges of war crimes and four crimes against humanity.

The prosecutor's office asked for the warrant to be made public as it "may facilitate [his] arrest and surrender as all states will then be aware of its existence", the court said on Tuesday.

[link to www.aljazeera.com]

Senior Lawmakers Urge U.S. Engagement in Libya
4/25/17

Senior lawmakers on Tuesday rejected President Donald Trump's declaration that the United States has "no role" in Libya, citing the threat of regional instability to U.S. national security interests.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) and ranking Democrat Ben Cardin (D., Md.) said Libya's ongoing battle over power and access to natural resources has created a permissive environment for extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al Qaeda.

[link to freebeacon.com]

UN-proposed government's PM to meet with Donald Trump in Washington
4/25/17

The Head of the UN-proposed government's Presidential Council, Fayez Al-Sirraj, has been invited to visit the White House to meet with the US President, Donald Trump, next June reported The New Arab news website, citing sources from Al-Sirraj's government.

According to the sources, Al-Sirraj will also meet with the commander of the self-styled army in eastern Libya, Khalifa Haftar, in Washington, in what seems to be a brokered meeting under the auspices of the US.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]
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I wonder how Trump will deal with this UN puppet....

After deadly self-killing incidents in east Libya, suicides shift to western region
4/25/17

This new suicide case is the first in the western region of Libya after about 12 persons hanged themselves in Al-Bayda city in eastern Libya since the start of this month, according to sources from the city.

[link to www.libyanexpress.com]

Qaddafi was a 'hero', says Africa's longest-serving President
4/28/17

The late Libyan strongman Muammar el-Qaddafi was a “hero” for promoting solidarity among African countries, according to the continent’s longest-serving president.

Qaddafi, who was killed in an uprising in the North African country in 2011, was a strong advocate of creating a “United States of Africa” and supported the philosophy of pan-Africanism, which promotes the political union of African countries.

[link to www.newsweek.com]

Health calamity could descend on Libya any minute, National Vaccination Program CEO says
4/30/17

"I call on the civil societies, media outlets and social media to help place some pressure on the decision makers in Libya to import the needed vaccines in no time." Al-Bahilil indicated.

He also warned that the heat wave of the summer and the environmental pollution as well as the illegal immigration could cause a health disaster and lead to the outbreak of diseases.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]

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Al-Bahilil probably has a really big collection of pens with big pharma names on them....