Feb. 17th Brigade Commander Confirms Libyan Weapons Supplied to Syrian Rebels ...BENGAZI SCANDAL RELOADED

[link to larouchepac.com] The New York Times reports on June 22 that "many of the same people who chased [Col Muammar el-Qaddafi] to his grave are busy shuttling his former arms stockpiles to rebels in Syria.... Evidence gathered in Syria, along with flight-control data and interviews with militia members, smugglers, rebels, analysts and officials in several countries, offers a profile of a complex and active multinational effort, financed largely by Qatar, to transport arms from Libya to Syria's opposition fighters."

The reporters then quote Fawzi Bukatef, who they identify as the former leader of an alliance of Libyan brigades who was recently named ambassador to Uganda: "it is just the enthusiasm of the Libyan people helping the Syrians."

Fawzi Bukatef was the commander of the February 17th Brigade in Benghazi, which was founded by the Emir of the Al-Qaeda affiliated Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, Abdelhakim Belhadj, and whose head was Ismael al-Sallabi. Both Ismael al-Sallabi and Fawzi Bukatef were sacked by the Libyan central government following the attack on the U.S. mission on Sept. 11, 2012. al-Sallabi is now head of Libya Shield 3. Al-Sallabi recently gave an interview to Reuters in which he reported that the person coordinating the shipment of weapons from Libya to Syria, Abdul Basit Haroun was also a member of the February 17th Brigade.

The New York Times reports that once inside Syria the weapons are purchased by extremist fighters, some of them aligned with al-Qaeda.

The article also states that the weapons are sent on ships or Qatar Emiri Air Force flights to a network of intelligence agenices and Syrian oppostion leaders in Turkey. Qatari C-17 cargo aircraft have made at least three stops in Libya this year—including flights from Mitiga airport in Tripoli on Jan. 15 and Feb. 1 and another that departed Benghazi on April 16. The planes returned to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The cargo was then flown to Ankara, Turkey. Al Udeid Air Base as of 2010 was the home of 10,000 U.S. personnel.

Bukatef said the Libyan militias had been shipping weapons to Syrian rebels for more than a year. "They collect the weapons, and when they have enough they send it."

When Wissam bin Hamid and Muhammad al-Garabi met with U.S. officials in Benghazi on Sept. 9, 2012, they said that if the Muslim Brotherhood won the election for prime minister, he would appoint Bukatef as Minister of Defense. But if Jabril won then they would not continue to guarantee security for the U.S. in Benghazi.

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Last Edited by Uncle Fuck Stick on 06/23/2013 02:38 PM