Balkanisation of Libya, and international impact?

[elbows]

And that led Ansar Al-Sharia to get a bit excited with their rhetoric to say the least.

http://www.ibtimes.com/ansar-al-sha...nghazi-declares-islamic-emirate-libya-1645328

Islamic militants in Libya aligned with al Qaeda claimed they took control of Benghazi late Wednesday and declared the city an “Islamic emirate,” Al Arabiya reported Thursday. But Libyan government forces are denying Ansar al-Sharia’s claim, saying troops only abandoned parts of Libya's second-largest city “for tactical reasons.”

“Benghazi has now become an Islamic emirate,” Ansar Al-Sharia representative Mohammed al-Zahawi told Radio Tawhid of Libya.

A Libyan army general said reports that Benghazi fell to the militants were untrue.

“The national Libyan army is in control of Benghazi and only withdrew from certain positions for tactical reasons,” Khalifa Haftar told Al Arabiya.

But a commander of one of the Islamic groups fighting the government countered that claim by telling the Associated Press that there are no government forces in the entire city.

"We are the only force on the ground in Benghazi," the commander said.

 

[elbows]

Which led to this:

Thousands of Benghazi residents took to the streets on Friday in what is being called the biggest demonstration in the city since those that followed the killing on 11 September 2012 of US ambassador Chris Stevens.

Protesters gathered in front of the Tebesti Hotel carrying flags and shouting chants against Ansar Al-Sharia and its leader, Mohammed Al-Zahawi, as well as the Libya Shield commander Wissam Ben Hamid.

The crowds demanded an end to the violence and terroism in the city and the full presence of the national army and police.

In a related development, Benghazi Municipal Council says it has managed to secure Ansar Al-Sharia’s agreement to quit Jelaa Hospital and hand responsibility for protecting it to a group of young men from Salmani district. Protestors managed to force Ansar out of the hospital on Wednesday but the militants moved back in yesterday.

http://www.libyaherald.com/2014/08/...a-hospital-again-changes-hands/#axzz39Gqv947f

 

[elbows]

Finally, in regards the 'official politics' side of things, the new House of representatives is meeting, a move that is supposed to finally mark the end of the General National Congress. Although it sounds like the house of representatives meeting has been delayed till Monday to allow even more members to get to Tabruk where most are already gathered. At least one influential figure who they are waiting for was kidnapped briefly recently, so those sorts of shenanigans are still happening.

Mind you if the stuff I've just been reading is accurate, turnout for the House of representatives election that took place in late June was only a rubbish 18%, and islamists didn't do very well in it compared to the previous election.

 

[Poi E]

Fingers crossed that Iran holds the hand.

 

[Rimbaud]

With Libya's second largest city now declared an "Islamic Emirate" and with the Islamist-allied Misrata Brigades fighting for control of the capital, is there a chance of a second front of the Caliphate in Iraq and Syria opening up on the med?

http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2014/07/31/feature-01

According to Abdellah Rami, an expert on jihadist movements, AQIM's refusal to recognise al-Baghdadi's group kept ISIS from claiming the key position in the parent terror organisation.

"The success or failure of the ISIS project hinges on the positions of three key jihadist organisations in the world: al-Qaeda in Yemen, AQIM and Ansar al-Sharia in Libya," Rami said. "Without the allegiance of those groups, the caliphate project will just be ink on paper and will be a local organisation confined to Iraq's borders."

"However, this doesn't mean that the caliphate state doesn't have supporters in those areas," Rami told Magharebia. "There are dozens of small groups and terrorist cells that have already sworn allegiance to ISIS in those countries, and there are hundreds of lone wolves that ISIS has already attracted. Therefore, al-Baghdadi can use those at any moment to carry out terrorist operations and destabilise regional countries."

...

The Uqba Ibn Nafaa brigade that claimed responsibility for the Jebel Chaambi attack that killed 15 Tunisian troops "has extensions under the same name in Syria", while Libya clashes "are becoming fiercer with the return of Libya's al-Battar brigade from Syria to join Ansar al-Sharia", he said.

 

[Rimbaud]

US intelligence reports point to fighters in North Africa and Yemen defecting from al-Qaeda to the Islamic State.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...321d10-1f08-11e4-ae54-0cfe1f974f8a_story.html

U.S. spy agencies have begun to see groups of fighters abandoning al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Africa to join the rival Islamist organization that has seized territory in Iraq and Syria and been targeted in American airstrikes, U.S. officials said.

The movements are seen by U.S. counterterrorism analysts as a worrisome indication of the expanding appeal of a group known as the Islamic State that has overwhelmed military forces in the region and may now see itself in direct conflict with the United States.

 

[elbows]

I suspect there are far too many other factors for that to become the overwhelming factor in Libya, at least at the moment, though I am prepared to change my view on this over time.

Certainly the regional, tribal and international factors are still in obvious effect, even if they don't get discussed properly in the media much.

Just one small example, since the new house of reps got started, it seems a Qatar-backed, MB affiliated tv station has been losing quite a lot of its staff over accusations of bias:

http://www.libyaherald.com/2014/08/...ing-it-of-anti-parliament-bias/#axzz3A6yUw2H0

TV presenter Nabil Al-Haj of Libya Ahrar TV has resigned, accusing the new administration of the Qatar-based station of bias and twisting the news.

He resigned yesterday shortly after the station had covered yesterday’s anti-House of Representatives protests in Misrata. In a statement on his Facebook page, he condemned the lack of integrity at the channel which, he said, had managed to cover that demonstration but not, “for technical reasons”, pro-House of Representative demonstrations in Tripoli and Benghazi.

Another staffer, presenter Ghalia Zakuk broadcaster resigned today, bringing the number of those who have now left the station in recent weeks to 16. They include: Khadija Al-Amami, head of the Benghazi bureau, who resigned last month; news presenter Fatin Alami who quit last week; and Mohamed Al-Shabah who resigned earlier this week in protest that the station had not aired any of the decisions of by the new House of Representatives.

Founded in March 201 by a number of Libyan businessmen, its CEO was until recently Mahmoud Shammam. It is now said to be controlled by Ali Salabi, one of the most prominent members of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood.

 

[elbows]

Ah I see AlJazeera has been asking whether Libya is a failed state. Not had a chance to watch the program yet but will do so now.

In the meantime I will comment on some words in the text below the video:

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2014/08/libya-failed-state-2014810142336360658.html

The newly elected house of representatives which replaced the general national congress, has been holding sessions in the eastern city of Tobruk, far from the clashes in Libya's two main cities, and has called for a unity government.

Factions with Islamic agenda have rejected the sessions held in Tobruk as unconstitutional. Those factions were rejected in the ballot box.

Can't really let that pass without commenting on how bad the turnout for that election was. It's quite likely, especially given what happened to the MB in Egypt and the obvious involvement of Qatar in Libya, that Islamists decided not to play the democracy game anymore, at least for now, and a combination of violence and further undermining the credibility of the elected institutions will serve their cause for now.

 

[teqniq]

James Wheeler‏@wheelertweets
#Libya: Tripoli today (Ghot Shaal) pic.twitter.com/QfFFekQZKu

 

[Casually Red]

what a job the anglo saxons did on the place. Well fucking done chaps.

one reason why election turn outs are so low is its simply been very dangerous to set foot out doors.

Ah I see AlJazeera has been asking whether Libya is a failed state. Not had a chance to watch the program yet but will do so now.

In the meantime I will comment on some words in the text below the video:

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2014/08/libya-failed-state-2014810142336360658.html



Can't really let that pass without commenting on how bad the turnout for that election was. It's quite likely, especially given what happened to the MB in Egypt and the obvious involvement of Qatar in Libya, that Islamists decided not to play the democracy game anymore, at least for now, and a combination of violence and further undermining the credibility of the elected institutions will serve their cause for now.

why would they bother with elections when thans to NATO and Qatar theyve got more guns than the laughably entitled government whch seems to be lttle more than a bunch of assholes shuffling from one room to another gettng periodcally kidnapped.

The turn out is so low because theres no point voting and nothing to vote for. The only people with a coherent vision of how to run the country different to a 14th century caliphate have had to flee and arent even allowed stand in elections. Theres nothing to vote for . its a completely failed state and nothing can bring it bac now . We are just witnessing the final ...and long predicted easily forseeable ....descent into the abyss following NATO and Qatars handiwork.

 

[elbows]

Well of course you have no cause to hope for Libya now, because you pinned your hopes on friends and sons of Gaddafi making a grand return and saving the people from the dirty rats you so enthusiastically dehumanised during the uprising and subsequent military action.

The extent to which Libya fails, and what emerges, if anything, from the eventual playing out of various situations still matters. Even you should have some cause to think that perhaps one day Libya will again be of some use to your worldview. If the state continues to fail and things just end up a mess for many years, it does not seem impossible that to some extent a mood may develop there of nostalgia for the Gaddafi days. Not saying this is hugely likely to happen in a direct way, but more along the lines of weariness leading to support for a strongman of some kind.

Of all the countries where the arab spring had a big affect on those in power, only Egypt so far has been an obvious choice for those wishing to observe the possible emergence of the next generation of strongmen in the region. And that one was easy because he was already very well positioned within an institution that enjoyed enormous power before, during and after the uprising. Libya is an obvious one to watch for future potential in the strongman regard, though right now there are clearly far too many sides for that sort of thing to seem feasible.

 

[elbows]

So the 'Operation Dawn' Misrata fighters finally took control of Tripoli airport, which had been in the hands of fighters from Zintan for years. And the next day the terminal caught fire.

And it seems the Misrata fighters came under air attack in Tripoli, with various claims about who might have been responsible!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/24/us-libya-security-idUSKBN0GN0AS20140824

Renegade general Khalifa Haftar, who has declared war on Islamist-leaning militias, claimed responsibility for air raids on Tripoli on Saturday and last Monday that targetted Operation Dawn.

Misrata forces have blamed the air strikes on Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, two countries which have cracked down on Islamists. Libya's government says it does not know who is behind the attacks. Egypt denies conducting any air strikes or other military operations in Libya.

Misrantan gains in the Tripoli area also seems to raises the prospect of the old General National Congress being reconvened, more overtly demonstrating the political dimensions of this battle.

A BBC even made a reference to 'their backers', without illuminating who the backers might be.

It's a symbolic win for them and their backers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-28916417

The Guardian are a lot more certain about what all of this means, and spell out the political situation as being Islamists now in control of Tripoli, with this fight triggered by poor Islamist performance in the elections. As per my previous posts I'm sure this is part of the mix, but they may be oversimplifying things in various ways that will matter later. On the other hand at least they have tried to tell a story about what is happening, rather than the rather dodgy 'reporting of some daily facts without a proper explanatory narrative' that the likes of the BBC has stuck to during the fighting in Tripoli.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...control-tripoli-airport-seized-operation-dawn

 

[teqniq]

Bits of Tripoli airport were in ruins weeks/months ago so fuck knows what it looks like now.

 

[teqniq]

Egypt and United Arab Emirates Said to Have Secretly Carried Out Libya Airstrikes

CAIRO — Twice in the last seven days, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have secretly teamed up to launch airstrikes against Islamist-allied militias battling for control of Tripoli, Libya, four senior American officials said, in a major escalation between the supporters and opponents of political Islam.

The United States, the officials said, was caught by surprise: Egypt and the Emirates, both close allies and military partners, acted without informing Washington or seeking its consent, leaving the Obama administration on the sidelines. Egyptian officials explicitly denied the operation to American diplomats, the officials said....

...
Libya is the latest, and hottest, battleground. Several officials said that United States diplomats were fuming about the airstrikes, believing they could further inflame the Libyan conflict at a time when the United Nations and Western powers are seeking a peaceful resolution.

“We don’t see this as constructive at all,” said one senior American official.

Oh the hypocrisy! But, but... it was ok to bomb fuck out of the place not so long ago, now who was in charge of that operation?

 

[elbows]

GNC stuff happened as expected:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middl...parliament-elects-pm-2014825134648296586.html

Libya's outgoing parliament, the General National Congress (GNC), has appointed a new prime minister in a move set to deepen the country's political split as warring factions vie for control of the country.

The GNC reconvened unilaterally on Monday in Tripoli and elected Islamist-backed Omar al-Hassi as prime minister, a parliamentary spokesman told the Reuters news agency.

The GNC said it replaced the House of Representatives (HoR), and tasked al-Hassi, a lecturer in political science at the University of Benghazi, with forming a "salvation government".

Local TV station, Alharar, said 94 politicians attended, meeting the minimum requirement for quorum.

The move is widely expected to fragment the country further, leaving it with two rival parliaments and governments.

 

[happie chappie]

Egypt and United Arab Emirates Said to Have Secretly Carried Out Libya Airstrikes

Oh the hypocrisy! But, but... it was ok to bomb fuck out of the place not so long ago, now who was in charge of that operation?

So we’re expected to believe that the world’s most powerful nation, with unrivalled human and signals intelligence, didn't know that two of its allies, with which they have strong economic and military links, were going to attack Islamic fundamentalist insurgents. Not once but twice.

In a country whose leader it had recently toppled by force and is now in meltdown in what is the most volatile region on the planet.

Really?

 

[elbows]

Oh the BBC finally decided to furnish us with a range of factoids brought together into a narrative that even manages to include the likes of Qatar.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-28948948

Libya Dawn, which is now in complete charge of the capital, was targeted by the raids. It regards the bombing as flagrant interference in Libya's internal affairs by the UAE - which has denied involvement.

Meanwhile, since June, a motley collection of militias, air-force units and army groups under a former general, Khalifa Haftar, has been trying to eliminate pro-Islamist and extremist militias in Libya's second city, Benghazi.

It has been relatively unsuccessful and Islamist militias there have forced out his key ally, the al-Saiqa elite army unit.

Britain, France, the US, the UAE and Qatar intervened in the 2011 civil war that toppled Col Muammar Gaddafi. Qatar has supported moderate Islamist groups since then.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have come together to confront the Muslim Brotherhood and similar groups wherever they appear - in Egypt, the Gaza Strip or Libya, for example.

The three anti-Brotherhood allies have also targeted Qatar, for its support for the Islamist groups they oppose, hence the raids on Tripoli.

Egypt has also denied being involved in the attacks, but it soon will be, simply because of its fears that radical Islamist militias in Benghazi will soon spill over its borders.

That is no doubt why Gen Haftar is a frequent visitor to Cairo. Indeed Egypt must also be very worried about the situation in the eastern town of Derna, where local extremists have declared a caliphate in imitation of the much-feared Islamic State - which controls swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Nor are the Egyptians alone, as Europe begins to worry that such extremism may soon cross the Mediterranean.

 

[elbows]

So we’re expected to believe that the world’s most powerful nation, with unrivalled human and signals intelligence, didn't know that two of its allies, with which they have strong economic and military links, were going to attack Islamic fundamentalist insurgents. Not once but twice.

The most likely scenario is that the US knew about it via their various capabilities, but that Egypt and the UAE had not actively told the US about it, or asked the US to green light it. The US probably warned them not to do it, but they ignored such warnings.

The manner in which Washington officials briefed the media about it is certainly a very strong fit for not being happy with the action, as opposed to secretly supporting it but not wishing to be seen to support it.

 

[elbows]

Britain has been accused of housing a possible war crimes suspect after the Guardian learned that Libya's highest spiritual leader, the grand mufti Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani, helped orchestrate the Islamist takeover of Tripoli from the UK.

On a day when David Cameron announced tougher measures to tackle the threat from terrorists, the Foreign Office confirmed that Ghariani was residing in the UK, from where he is encouraging his followers to overthrow the Libyan government.

Earlier this week, the radical cleric celebrated the violent capture of Tripoli by Islamist militia force Libya Dawn and called for a widening of the rebellion using an online television channel registered by a close family relative in Exeter.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/29/uk-accused-libyan-grand-mufti-sadik-al-ghariani

I will caution that this article fits right in with the Guardians present shrill tone about Islamists and terrorists, to the exclusion of characterising those who have taken Tripoli in more nuanced and complex terms.

 

[Casually Red]

an Islamist militia have now occupied the abandoned US embassy

seem to be enjoying themselves

 

[elbows]

On a related note, the Daily Mail lays the Islamist terrorist label on very thick in this article about them posing with planes and the potential for such planes to be used in a 9/11 attack.

Without wishing to be complacent, I've pointed out before that Libya Dawn are a more varied mix than terrorist/islamist labels indicate. The only reason I'm posting this article is because some of the photos are of interest, both for assessing the extent of the damage to the airport, and because some of the poses are actually somewhat incompatible with the standard 21st century war on terror template we are used to

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-carry-terrorist-attack-9-11-anniversary.html

As an added bonus, the twitter account the Mail got this and some other pics from is rabidly pro-Gaddafi.

 

[TomUS]

With all the money spent by the west on intelligence gathering, how could 11 commercial airliners "go missing."

 

[Casually Red]

Well of course you have no cause to hope for Libya now, because you pinned your hopes on friends and sons of Gaddafi making a grand return and saving the people from the dirty rats you so enthusiastically dehumanised during the uprising and subsequent military action.
.

i have no hope for Libya now because it is completely and irreparably fuced..as i said repeatedly it would be if NATO triumphed

which you repeatedly scoffed at as you opined hope and support for the rats and ther airstrike driven revolution


ffs

 

[elbows]

I note that you almost appreciated the rats above, who you previously wanted Gaddafi to murder, when they took a swim at the US embassy.

I will make no attempt to downplay the current state of Libya, but in general I do not recognise the concept of an irreparably fucked nation.

 

[elbows]

Libya has expelled the Sudanese military attache after accusing Khartoum of flying weapons to Islamist rebels in Tripoli, raising fears of a widening regional conflict.

The government, which has fled Tripoli for eastern Libya, accused Khartoum of sending a transport plane loaded with munitions for the Islamist-led Libya Dawn militias who control the capital.

"Sudan is interposing itself by providing arms to a terrorist group that is attacking the headquarters of the state," said a government statement. "This also represents a clear violation of international resolutions, and the latest UN Security Council resolution."

The government said the plane entered Libyan airspace without permission on Thursday, making a refueling stop in the southern oasis town of Kufra, where the weapons were discovered. It said the weapons were destined for the Tripoli airport of Mitiga, controlled by Libya Dawn.

Sudan, which is sympathetic to Libya's Islamists, confirmed sending the plane but insisted the weapons were intended for legitimate border forces patrolling the southern desert.

"The plane did not carry any material for armed groups in Libya," Sudan's army spokesman al-Sawarmi Khalid told the local TV channel Shouruq, according to Reuters.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/07/libya-khartoum-weapons-islamist-rebels

 

[teqniq]

You could not make it up

Libyan parliament takes refuge in Greek car ferry

A Greek car ferry has been hired as last-minute accommodation forLibya's embattled parliament, which has fled the country's civil war to the small eastern town of Tobruk.

The 17,000-ton Elyros liner has been deployed, complete with its Greek crew, as a floating hotel for a legislature clinging to power in the Libyan city that is last stop before the Egyptian border....

 

[elbows]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/29/uk-accused-libyan-grand-mufti-sadik-al-ghariani

I will caution that this article fits right in with the Guardians present shrill tone about Islamists and terrorists, to the exclusion of characterising those who have taken Tripoli in more nuanced and complex terms.

Apparently the grand mufti is back in Libya, left London after articles such as that one and rumours that he was going to be arrested:

http://www.libyaherald.com/2014/09/12/grand-mufti-back-in-tripoli/#axzz3DIFTf3La

 

[elbows]

Meanwhile the quantity of news reports from Libya is probably worse than its ever been. I don't like having to rely on the Libya Herald alone, especially as they clearly aren't neutral, but apart from them we are only treated to very sporadic articles from the likes of reuters and human rights watch.

But from what I can gather, the main violence in and around Tripoli these days involves Libya Dawn shelling residential areas aligned to the Warshefana tribe. Persecution of displaced Tawergha people by Misratan militias also continues, with many having now left the camps they ended up in after being forced out of their hometown during the original uprising.

 

[CNT36]

AJ still seem to cover it regularly on the telly.

 

[elbows]

Ah yes, fraid I gave up on AlJ for a while due to blatant Qatar/MB bias regarding Egypt, but I shouldn't overlook them now.

Not had time to read up properly yet, but recent news seems to revolve around a shocking day of assassinations in Benghazi last week, including some prominent youth activists. And more evidence of official deals done between the 'legit' Libya government and Egypt for joint military actions, along with a further air assault on a Libya-Dawn controlled munitions dump in/near Tripoli.