Western war on Libya
- Thread starter angelburst29
- Start date
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
Twelve former Gaddafi regime officials were found dead in various parts of Tripoli a day after they were released, Libyan officials said.
Twelve Freed Members of Former Libyan Regime Found Dead
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950324000998
Twelve members of the former Libyan regime have been killed after their release from jail for taking part in acts of repression during the 2011 revolt against Muammar Gaddafi, said officials, Alaraby reported.
A Tripoli court ordered the conditional release of the former regime officials, and on the weekend their bullet-riddled bodies were found in the capital, the prosecution said on its Facebook page.
An investigation into the murders has begun, it added.
The victims had been imprisoned on charges of committing abuses during the uprising that toppled and killed Gaddafi.
They were freed on condition that they report to the prosecutor every two weeks.
The UN special envoy to Libya Martin Kobler condemned the murders and called for a prompt and "transparent" investigation.
Kobler tweeted that he was "shocked and dismayed by the reports of murder of so many detainees released by a Tripoli court".
A statement on its Facebook page called on security and judiciary authorities to find the assailants and bring them to justice.The Government of National Accord also denounced what it called a "despicable crime".
Seddiq Essour, of the prosecutor's office, told Libyan television the bodies were found in various parts of the capital and confirmed that all were former prisoners.
He said they had been arrested between 2011 and 2014.
The identities of the victims were not immediately released.
Twelve former Gaddafi regime officials were found dead in various parts of Tripoli a day after they were released, Libyan officials said.
Twelve Freed Members of Former Libyan Regime Found Dead
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950324000998
Twelve members of the former Libyan regime have been killed after their release from jail for taking part in acts of repression during the 2011 revolt against Muammar Gaddafi, said officials, Alaraby reported.
A Tripoli court ordered the conditional release of the former regime officials, and on the weekend their bullet-riddled bodies were found in the capital, the prosecution said on its Facebook page.
An investigation into the murders has begun, it added.
The victims had been imprisoned on charges of committing abuses during the uprising that toppled and killed Gaddafi.
They were freed on condition that they report to the prosecutor every two weeks.
The UN special envoy to Libya Martin Kobler condemned the murders and called for a prompt and "transparent" investigation.
Kobler tweeted that he was "shocked and dismayed by the reports of murder of so many detainees released by a Tripoli court".
A statement on its Facebook page called on security and judiciary authorities to find the assailants and bring them to justice.The Government of National Accord also denounced what it called a "despicable crime".
Seddiq Essour, of the prosecutor's office, told Libyan television the bodies were found in various parts of the capital and confirmed that all were former prisoners.
He said they had been arrested between 2011 and 2014.
The identities of the victims were not immediately released.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
The UN Security Council on Tuesday extended the mandate of the EU anti-migrant smuggling operation Sophia in the Mediterranean.
UN SC Allows EU to Intercept Weapons-Smuggling Ships Near Libyan Shores
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160614/1041336215/unsc-allows-eu-smuggling-ships-interception.html
The UN Security Council on Tuesday extended the mandate of the EU anti-migrant smuggling operation Sophia in the Mediterranean, allowing the participants to intercept ships carrying weapons in the international waters, in violation of an embargo against Libya.
The Resolution 2292 was adopted unanimously. The draft resolution was proposed by the United Kingdom last week.
Operation Sophia was approved by the UN Security Council in October last year amid massive migrant crisis, with a rising number of refugees travelling to the European Union across the Mediterranean Sea and other routes.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday extended the mandate of the EU anti-migrant smuggling operation Sophia in the Mediterranean.
UN SC Allows EU to Intercept Weapons-Smuggling Ships Near Libyan Shores
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160614/1041336215/unsc-allows-eu-smuggling-ships-interception.html
The UN Security Council on Tuesday extended the mandate of the EU anti-migrant smuggling operation Sophia in the Mediterranean, allowing the participants to intercept ships carrying weapons in the international waters, in violation of an embargo against Libya.
The Resolution 2292 was adopted unanimously. The draft resolution was proposed by the United Kingdom last week.
Operation Sophia was approved by the UN Security Council in October last year amid massive migrant crisis, with a rising number of refugees travelling to the European Union across the Mediterranean Sea and other routes.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
US Special Envoy for Libya Jonathan Winer said that the allies of the United States are not considering sending military forces to support the internationally-backed Libyan GNA against Daesh.
No US Allies Prepared to Send Troops to Aid Fight Against Daesh in Libya
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160616/1041410746/usa-allies-wont-fight-libya-terrorism.html
The allies of the United States are not considering sending military forces to support the internationally-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) against the Islamic State (ISIL, or Daesh), US Special Envoy for Libya Jonathan Winer told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"No foreign nations [are] planning to send military forces to aid Libya," Winer told the committee on Wednesday. "I am not aware of anything beyond [a] training and equip mission center."
Winer also denied that the US Department of Defense was preparing to send ground forces into Libya.
Additionally, Winer told the committee that the US government was in talks with the Tobruk House of Representatives forces that have so far refused to join Libyan government forces fighting the Islamic State around the eastern city of Sirte.
US Special Envoy for Libya Jonathan Winer said that the allies of the United States are not considering sending military forces to support the internationally-backed Libyan GNA against Daesh.
No US Allies Prepared to Send Troops to Aid Fight Against Daesh in Libya
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160616/1041410746/usa-allies-wont-fight-libya-terrorism.html
The allies of the United States are not considering sending military forces to support the internationally-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) against the Islamic State (ISIL, or Daesh), US Special Envoy for Libya Jonathan Winer told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"No foreign nations [are] planning to send military forces to aid Libya," Winer told the committee on Wednesday. "I am not aware of anything beyond [a] training and equip mission center."
Winer also denied that the US Department of Defense was preparing to send ground forces into Libya.
Additionally, Winer told the committee that the US government was in talks with the Tobruk House of Representatives forces that have so far refused to join Libyan government forces fighting the Islamic State around the eastern city of Sirte.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
Libya is suing Wall Street megabank Goldman Sachs for $1.2 billion dollars, claiming that it used different forms of corruption to secure high-risk contracts with Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) in 2008.
US Government and Wall Street Played a Trick on Libya
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160617/1041483389/wall-street-libya-trial.html
According to the Libyan government, Goldman Sachs bankers used bribes, lavish gifts, and prostitutes to lock in contracts that turned out disastrous for the African nation. The trial, which begins this week in London, has made headlines, as many of the bank's top officials rotated into and out of influential government jobs, including managing partner Timothy Geithner, who was appointed Secretary of the Treasury under US President Barack Obama.
Russ Baker, editor in chief of WhoWhatWhy news, covered Libya at the time of the 2011 NATO bombing. Speaking to Radio Sputnik's Loud and Clear, he explains that there's plenty of evidence the intervention was all about the money from the beginning.
"Gaddafi was one of the few leaders in the Arab world that really was independent…He not only was encouraging all of the Arab countries to try to work together to generate political power on the world scene, but he also [encouraged] African countries…to take full ownership of their own natural wealth," Baker tells host Brian Becker.
"All of this had bankers and oil companies shaking in their boots, because this man was seen almost like another Castro…going his own way and encouraging others to do so. This was a terrifying prospect for these corporations."
According to Baker, the intervention into Libya by the US and its allies had little to do with human rights and was in fact driven by an alliance between big governments and big corporations.
The Libyan government, which was "forced to accept responsibility" for the deadly bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie and pay out tremendous reparations, welcomed deals with financial giants like Goldman Sachs in hopes it could recoup the money lost from the sanctions.
But in 2007, Goldman Sachs convinced inexperienced people running LIA — mostly hired through cronyism — to take highly risky investments.
"They lost 98 percent of the money. [Goldman Sachs] put them into incredibly risky things, and it's very confusing, because they seem to have managed to lose the money even before the global economy really went south," Baker said.
Goldman, however, made 200 million in profits from the arrangement. According to Baker, the bankers knew they were taking advantage of unqualified people. Even more shockingly, Baker added, is that when big banks started crashing in 2008, Goldman turned to Libya to ask if the government wanted to buy the nearly bankrupt institution.
White House fingerprints are all over the case, Baker asserted, given the clear alliance between the government and Goldman Sachs, which came to light again during the 2016 presidential elections in the US.
Recalling Clinton's expensive speeches to Goldman Sachs, he concluded that "this kind of thing is borderline criminal.
Libya is suing Wall Street megabank Goldman Sachs for $1.2 billion dollars, claiming that it used different forms of corruption to secure high-risk contracts with Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) in 2008.
US Government and Wall Street Played a Trick on Libya
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160617/1041483389/wall-street-libya-trial.html
According to the Libyan government, Goldman Sachs bankers used bribes, lavish gifts, and prostitutes to lock in contracts that turned out disastrous for the African nation. The trial, which begins this week in London, has made headlines, as many of the bank's top officials rotated into and out of influential government jobs, including managing partner Timothy Geithner, who was appointed Secretary of the Treasury under US President Barack Obama.
Russ Baker, editor in chief of WhoWhatWhy news, covered Libya at the time of the 2011 NATO bombing. Speaking to Radio Sputnik's Loud and Clear, he explains that there's plenty of evidence the intervention was all about the money from the beginning.
"Gaddafi was one of the few leaders in the Arab world that really was independent…He not only was encouraging all of the Arab countries to try to work together to generate political power on the world scene, but he also [encouraged] African countries…to take full ownership of their own natural wealth," Baker tells host Brian Becker.
"All of this had bankers and oil companies shaking in their boots, because this man was seen almost like another Castro…going his own way and encouraging others to do so. This was a terrifying prospect for these corporations."
According to Baker, the intervention into Libya by the US and its allies had little to do with human rights and was in fact driven by an alliance between big governments and big corporations.
The Libyan government, which was "forced to accept responsibility" for the deadly bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie and pay out tremendous reparations, welcomed deals with financial giants like Goldman Sachs in hopes it could recoup the money lost from the sanctions.
But in 2007, Goldman Sachs convinced inexperienced people running LIA — mostly hired through cronyism — to take highly risky investments.
"They lost 98 percent of the money. [Goldman Sachs] put them into incredibly risky things, and it's very confusing, because they seem to have managed to lose the money even before the global economy really went south," Baker said.
Goldman, however, made 200 million in profits from the arrangement. According to Baker, the bankers knew they were taking advantage of unqualified people. Even more shockingly, Baker added, is that when big banks started crashing in 2008, Goldman turned to Libya to ask if the government wanted to buy the nearly bankrupt institution.
White House fingerprints are all over the case, Baker asserted, given the clear alliance between the government and Goldman Sachs, which came to light again during the 2016 presidential elections in the US.
Recalling Clinton's expensive speeches to Goldman Sachs, he concluded that "this kind of thing is borderline criminal.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
French media revealed that the European intelligence agencies are searching the Mediterranean sea for six cargo ships carrying weapons that started voyage from the Turkish ports in mid May.
French Media: Arms-Loaded ISIL-Destined Ships Leave Turkish Ports towards Libya
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950330001087
It is assumed that container ships which are capable of carrying more than 10 thousand tons of cargo have loaded weapons in Libya for the ISIL militants, the French Le Figaro wrote.
Among them, two container ships are sailing under the flags of Turkey and Liberia, three truck ships under the flags of Panama, Bolivia and Tanzania and a vessel for cattle registered in the Comoros.
Le Figaro reported that the situation is complicated by the fact that after the release of all ships from the Turkish ports, most likely, they have turned off the GPS and no longer send radar signals.
According to security officials, they could escape neither through the Suez Canal nor Gibraltar and they are just circling in the Mediterranean Sea.
The security services don’t know who is behind these ships, the Turkish secret services or government.
In relevant remarks in April, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Turkey and other countries continue to supply terrorists in Syria with advanced weapons.
Muallem made the remarks at a meeting with China's special envoy to Syria as fighting raged across the country after the collapse of the UN-sponsored peace talks.
Muallem said the Syrian government would press on with its fight against terrorists.
French media revealed that the European intelligence agencies are searching the Mediterranean sea for six cargo ships carrying weapons that started voyage from the Turkish ports in mid May.
French Media: Arms-Loaded ISIL-Destined Ships Leave Turkish Ports towards Libya
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950330001087
It is assumed that container ships which are capable of carrying more than 10 thousand tons of cargo have loaded weapons in Libya for the ISIL militants, the French Le Figaro wrote.
Among them, two container ships are sailing under the flags of Turkey and Liberia, three truck ships under the flags of Panama, Bolivia and Tanzania and a vessel for cattle registered in the Comoros.
Le Figaro reported that the situation is complicated by the fact that after the release of all ships from the Turkish ports, most likely, they have turned off the GPS and no longer send radar signals.
According to security officials, they could escape neither through the Suez Canal nor Gibraltar and they are just circling in the Mediterranean Sea.
The security services don’t know who is behind these ships, the Turkish secret services or government.
In relevant remarks in April, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Turkey and other countries continue to supply terrorists in Syria with advanced weapons.
Muallem made the remarks at a meeting with China's special envoy to Syria as fighting raged across the country after the collapse of the UN-sponsored peace talks.
Muallem said the Syrian government would press on with its fight against terrorists.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
Bank of America, JP Morgan among 74 of 158 financial institutions that invest in companies producing internationally banned weapons.
US Banks Top Cluster Bomb Investment 'Hall of Shame': Report (PDF)
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/16/us-banks-top-cluster-bomb-investment-hall-shame-report
Despite the international ban on cluster bombs, more than 150 financial institutions have invested $28 billion in companies that produce them, according to a new report released Thursday.
Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo are among the 158 banks, pension funds, and other firms listed in the "Hall of Shame" compiled by the Netherlands-based organization PAX, a member of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC).
The report, titled Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions: A Shared Responsibility (pdf), finds that the leading investors come from 14 countries including the U.S., the UK, and Canada. Of the top 10 overall investors, the U.S. is home to eight. Japan and China round out the last two.
Both the UK and Canada—along with France, Germany, and Switzerland, whose institutions are also named on the list—have signed the 2008 Oslo treaty known as the Convention on Cluster Munitions banning the use of the indiscriminate bombs under international law.
The U.S., which hosts by far the most companies on the list with 74, is not a signatory.
Cluster bombs, which can be launched from the air or ground, operate by ejecting smaller sub-munitions or "bomblets" that can saturate an area of several football fields, according to CMC. They can remain volatile long after a conflict ends.
"Financial institutions must stop turning a blind eye to the lethal consequences of their investments," said CMC ambassador Branislav Kapetanović, who survived a cluster bomb in Serbia 16 years ago. "Cluster munitions are being used in Yemen and Syria, causing significant civilian casualties including among children and women. All banks and financial institutions must prohibit investment in companies that produce these indiscriminate weapons."
One type of cluster bomb, produced by the U.S.-based company Textron, has been used by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen since March 2015, the report states, citing research by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Some of the countries listed in the report have adopted legislation (pdf) that bans certain forms of investment in cluster bombs, including Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Samoa, Spain, and Switzerland. Others have "made an interpretive statement that investments in cluster munitions are or can be seen as prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions."
But more needs to be done, PAX said, noting that its recommendations "all come down to one simple message: disinvest from producers of cluster munitions now!"
For financial firms, that means ending any connection to cluster bomb manufacturers on every level—commercial banking, investment banking, and asset management, the report states.
It continues: "Financial institutions should develop policies that exclude all financial links with companies involved in cluster munitions production. Because all investment facilitates this production, no exceptions should be made for third-party financial services, for funds that follow an index, or for civilian project financing for a company also involved in cluster munitions."
Co-author Suzanne Oosterwijk said, "It is an outrage that so many financial institutions have no qualms about investing in companies that make banned cluster munitions," though she noted that some companies have made proactive steps to end those links.
"We commend these financial institutions for halting their investments and encourage others to follow suit," she said.
(Comment section)
And these banks that support and fund criminal killers of children are the scum we bailed-out to the tune of trillions of dollars??!
These war criminal banks/bankers -"banks" don't make decisions, people do! - are aided and supported by the US government/Obama et al, that has not ratified the International Cluster Bomb ban as 119 other nations have done!
Our "ally" the Saudis are killing children in Yemen at this moment with US aid and support! Our other "great ally" Israel also uses many banned and indiscriminate weapons/munitions against civilians: "IDF Commander: We Fired More Than a Million Cluster Bombs into Lebanon - Phosphorous and cluster bombs were heavily used; unexploded munitions litter wide area of Lebanon".
http://www.haaretz.com/news/idf-commander-we-fired-more-than-a-million-cluster-bombs-in-lebanon-1.197099
Most all US allies outside Europe are non-signatories to the cluster-munitions ban - war criminal nations, their so-called "leaders" - like Barack Obama - and their banks tend to stick together!
Yemen: Children among civilians killed and maimed in cluster bomb ‘minefields’
Children and their families returning home in northern Yemen after a year of conflict are at grave risk of serious injury and death from thousands of unexploded cluster bomb submunitions, Amnesty International said, following a 10-day research trip to Sa’da, Hajjah, and Sana’a governorates.
Bank of America, JP Morgan among 74 of 158 financial institutions that invest in companies producing internationally banned weapons.
US Banks Top Cluster Bomb Investment 'Hall of Shame': Report (PDF)
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/16/us-banks-top-cluster-bomb-investment-hall-shame-report
Despite the international ban on cluster bombs, more than 150 financial institutions have invested $28 billion in companies that produce them, according to a new report released Thursday.
Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo are among the 158 banks, pension funds, and other firms listed in the "Hall of Shame" compiled by the Netherlands-based organization PAX, a member of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC).
The report, titled Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions: A Shared Responsibility (pdf), finds that the leading investors come from 14 countries including the U.S., the UK, and Canada. Of the top 10 overall investors, the U.S. is home to eight. Japan and China round out the last two.
Both the UK and Canada—along with France, Germany, and Switzerland, whose institutions are also named on the list—have signed the 2008 Oslo treaty known as the Convention on Cluster Munitions banning the use of the indiscriminate bombs under international law.
The U.S., which hosts by far the most companies on the list with 74, is not a signatory.
Cluster bombs, which can be launched from the air or ground, operate by ejecting smaller sub-munitions or "bomblets" that can saturate an area of several football fields, according to CMC. They can remain volatile long after a conflict ends.
"Financial institutions must stop turning a blind eye to the lethal consequences of their investments," said CMC ambassador Branislav Kapetanović, who survived a cluster bomb in Serbia 16 years ago. "Cluster munitions are being used in Yemen and Syria, causing significant civilian casualties including among children and women. All banks and financial institutions must prohibit investment in companies that produce these indiscriminate weapons."
One type of cluster bomb, produced by the U.S.-based company Textron, has been used by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen since March 2015, the report states, citing research by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Some of the countries listed in the report have adopted legislation (pdf) that bans certain forms of investment in cluster bombs, including Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Samoa, Spain, and Switzerland. Others have "made an interpretive statement that investments in cluster munitions are or can be seen as prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions."
But more needs to be done, PAX said, noting that its recommendations "all come down to one simple message: disinvest from producers of cluster munitions now!"
For financial firms, that means ending any connection to cluster bomb manufacturers on every level—commercial banking, investment banking, and asset management, the report states.
It continues: "Financial institutions should develop policies that exclude all financial links with companies involved in cluster munitions production. Because all investment facilitates this production, no exceptions should be made for third-party financial services, for funds that follow an index, or for civilian project financing for a company also involved in cluster munitions."
Co-author Suzanne Oosterwijk said, "It is an outrage that so many financial institutions have no qualms about investing in companies that make banned cluster munitions," though she noted that some companies have made proactive steps to end those links.
"We commend these financial institutions for halting their investments and encourage others to follow suit," she said.
(Comment section)
And these banks that support and fund criminal killers of children are the scum we bailed-out to the tune of trillions of dollars??!
These war criminal banks/bankers -"banks" don't make decisions, people do! - are aided and supported by the US government/Obama et al, that has not ratified the International Cluster Bomb ban as 119 other nations have done!
Our "ally" the Saudis are killing children in Yemen at this moment with US aid and support! Our other "great ally" Israel also uses many banned and indiscriminate weapons/munitions against civilians: "IDF Commander: We Fired More Than a Million Cluster Bombs into Lebanon - Phosphorous and cluster bombs were heavily used; unexploded munitions litter wide area of Lebanon".
http://www.haaretz.com/news/idf-commander-we-fired-more-than-a-million-cluster-bombs-in-lebanon-1.197099
Most all US allies outside Europe are non-signatories to the cluster-munitions ban - war criminal nations, their so-called "leaders" - like Barack Obama - and their banks tend to stick together!
Yemen: Children among civilians killed and maimed in cluster bomb ‘minefields’
Children and their families returning home in northern Yemen after a year of conflict are at grave risk of serious injury and death from thousands of unexploded cluster bomb submunitions, Amnesty International said, following a 10-day research trip to Sa’da, Hajjah, and Sana’a governorates.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
Battle for Sirte and continuing division prompts imperialist rationale for further intervention.
Migrant Crisis Fueled by Libya War
http://www.globalresearch.ca/migrant-crisis-fueled-by-libya-war/5532034
Fighting for control of the western coastal city of Sirte, Libya has resulted in the fleeing of more people from this embattled North African state which five years ago was targeted for regime-change by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Pentagon and NATO.
Sirte is the hometown of former leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi who was brutally assassinated while attempting to leave the city amid the massive bombing by the imperialist states during late October 2011. Since 2015, the Islamic State (IS) has controlled the city along with other areas extending across the western coast of the Mediterranean.
IS presence in Libya has accelerated in the aftermath of the bombing of their positions in Syria and Iraq by numerous countries including the United States, Britain, France, and Russia. Forces loyal to the recently-imposed United Nations “Government of National Accord” (GNA) have laid siege to the city in an effort to drive out the organization.
The bulk of military forces involved in the efforts to oust IS are militias from the city of Misrata who were notorious for their violence and racism during the war of regime-change in 2011. In addition, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) is also deployed under the banner of the GNA.
Anti-war.com reported on June 19 that the GNA spokesman “Reda Issa suggested the focus right now was not offensive, but rather to ‘bolster positions on the outskirts of Sirte to reinforce the siege and provoke ISIS fighters to come out of hiding.’ ISIS is estimated to have 5,000 fighters in Libya, with a large chunk of them in Sirte. Given the unity government’s forces mostly consist of the old Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), which was never built for offensive operations, it is unsurprising that the offensive isn’t the quick mop-up it was initially suggested to be.”
These heavily-armed fighters have taken some territory away from IS in Sirte but the Islamists remain dug into their positions slowing the drive to force them out of the area in order to break their main base in the central-western region of the oil-rich state. 80 percent of the country’s oil reserves are located under the Sirte basin.
War Continues for Oil in the Eastern Region If this was not enough for the GNA regime to contend with, there are additional flashpoints in the eastern region where a renewed round of attacks have targeted oil installations. Another militia in the East calling itself The Benghazi Defense Forces (BDF) carried out attacks on PDF units said to be loyal to the GNA in an area close to oil facilities on June 19. The areas struck by the BDF included three oil terminals located north of the country’s major oil fields. At least three people were reportedly killed during the fighting.
BDF is composed of rebels that have been largely defeated by militias loyal to the Khalia Haftar, the renegade general under Gaddafi who later became a CIA asset. Haftar was flown back to Libya from Virginia during 2011 to ostensibly lead the counter-revolution supported by the imperialist states and their allies. Hafter’s forces have been clashing with rebels for two years, including some with ties to IS.
PFG spokespersons stated that the oil installations were not under imminent threat. However, they reiterated that the PFG were prepared to prevent a serious attack. This flare-up in fighting followed a previous day of clashes between the BDF and the UN-backed GNA Libyan regime.
On June 18, the BDF clashed with militias loyal to the Eastern government in the town of Ajdabiya. The rival regime based in Tobruk called the House of Representatives (HoR), has not thrown its support behind the GNA which is headquartered in the capital of Tripoli in the West.
The Tobruk regime has been in constant conflict with both the General National Congress (GNC) faction in Tripoli as well. At present there are two different National Oil Corporations (NOCs) which are claiming to be the legitimate controllers of the petroleum resources.
Libyan oil production has dropped off considerably from the 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) under the Jamahiriya governing system led by Gaddafi and his supporters. Libya for years was the most prosperous state in Africa has now been reduced to producing less than 400,000 (bpd) leaving the country scrambling for foreign exchange amid an extreme decline in oil prices over the last year.
Migrant Crisis Continues Amid Internal Divisions Despite the endorsement of the imperialist governments in Washington and the European Union (EU) member-states, the GNA junta has generated controversy among the two rival regimes and other factions vying for military and political control of the oil-rich state.
Compounding the Libyan instability in recent weeks is the fact that hundreds have died in their attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Officially well over 52,000 people have made the journey just this year alone. Many of the people who are subjected to the worst treatment by the human traffickers and militias occupying Libya are migrants coming from West Africa.
In a detailed article published by the British Guardian on June 17, it says “To even reach the sea, these West Africans all had to survive a horrific journey across the Sahara. If they don’t fall off the back of the smugglers’ pickup trucks, passengers are often kidnapped or beaten or die of dehydration.”
This same report goes on stressing “Their worst experiences, however, probably came inside Libya itself. Claimed by three rival regimes, and torn apart by a civil war waged between dozens of rival militias, Libya has become a hell on earth for migrant workers. In the security vacuum created by the absence of a strong central government, migrants have become easy prey for kidnappers and militias looking to raise money through ransoms, businessmen looking for slave labor and smugglers looking for passengers to exploit.”
The chaos engendered by the imperialist war of 2011 and its aftermath has turned Libya into a major source of African and even European instability. Governments controlling territories which are points of entry for the migrant population are seeking to halt the flow of people into their countries. Resistance to migration of people from Africa, the Middle East and Asia has strained relations between the European states in the South, Central and Eastern regions with those in the North and West.
Negotiations have taken place with the fractured regimes in Libya and the NATO state of Turkey to either prevent or return migrants and refugees who enter EU countries. In Europe itself, the displaced persons from the oppressed nations are subjected to institutional racism, xenophobia and violence from the security apparatus along with right-wing vigilantes.
The migrant, internally displaced and refugee crisis is one of the major issues facing the internationally community today yet remains absent from the discourse surrounding electoral politics and foreign policy. Reports from the UN Refugee Agency and other humanitarian organizations say that the problems of displacement is worse than it has ever been since the conclusion of World War II.
June 20 is designated as World Refugee Day and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe said in a statement that “Around 75 million international migrants are estimated to be living in the European Region alone, accounting for one third of all international migrants worldwide.” WHO also notes the rapid escalation of the crisis saying “Europe has experienced this acutely: over 1 million refugees and migrants arrived in European countries in 2015 alone, and over the course of the first 5 months of 2016 there have been over 200,000 new arrivals on European shores and at borders.”
Battle for Sirte and continuing division prompts imperialist rationale for further intervention.
Migrant Crisis Fueled by Libya War
http://www.globalresearch.ca/migrant-crisis-fueled-by-libya-war/5532034
Fighting for control of the western coastal city of Sirte, Libya has resulted in the fleeing of more people from this embattled North African state which five years ago was targeted for regime-change by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Pentagon and NATO.
Sirte is the hometown of former leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi who was brutally assassinated while attempting to leave the city amid the massive bombing by the imperialist states during late October 2011. Since 2015, the Islamic State (IS) has controlled the city along with other areas extending across the western coast of the Mediterranean.
IS presence in Libya has accelerated in the aftermath of the bombing of their positions in Syria and Iraq by numerous countries including the United States, Britain, France, and Russia. Forces loyal to the recently-imposed United Nations “Government of National Accord” (GNA) have laid siege to the city in an effort to drive out the organization.
The bulk of military forces involved in the efforts to oust IS are militias from the city of Misrata who were notorious for their violence and racism during the war of regime-change in 2011. In addition, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) is also deployed under the banner of the GNA.
Anti-war.com reported on June 19 that the GNA spokesman “Reda Issa suggested the focus right now was not offensive, but rather to ‘bolster positions on the outskirts of Sirte to reinforce the siege and provoke ISIS fighters to come out of hiding.’ ISIS is estimated to have 5,000 fighters in Libya, with a large chunk of them in Sirte. Given the unity government’s forces mostly consist of the old Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), which was never built for offensive operations, it is unsurprising that the offensive isn’t the quick mop-up it was initially suggested to be.”
These heavily-armed fighters have taken some territory away from IS in Sirte but the Islamists remain dug into their positions slowing the drive to force them out of the area in order to break their main base in the central-western region of the oil-rich state. 80 percent of the country’s oil reserves are located under the Sirte basin.
War Continues for Oil in the Eastern Region If this was not enough for the GNA regime to contend with, there are additional flashpoints in the eastern region where a renewed round of attacks have targeted oil installations. Another militia in the East calling itself The Benghazi Defense Forces (BDF) carried out attacks on PDF units said to be loyal to the GNA in an area close to oil facilities on June 19. The areas struck by the BDF included three oil terminals located north of the country’s major oil fields. At least three people were reportedly killed during the fighting.
BDF is composed of rebels that have been largely defeated by militias loyal to the Khalia Haftar, the renegade general under Gaddafi who later became a CIA asset. Haftar was flown back to Libya from Virginia during 2011 to ostensibly lead the counter-revolution supported by the imperialist states and their allies. Hafter’s forces have been clashing with rebels for two years, including some with ties to IS.
PFG spokespersons stated that the oil installations were not under imminent threat. However, they reiterated that the PFG were prepared to prevent a serious attack. This flare-up in fighting followed a previous day of clashes between the BDF and the UN-backed GNA Libyan regime.
On June 18, the BDF clashed with militias loyal to the Eastern government in the town of Ajdabiya. The rival regime based in Tobruk called the House of Representatives (HoR), has not thrown its support behind the GNA which is headquartered in the capital of Tripoli in the West.
The Tobruk regime has been in constant conflict with both the General National Congress (GNC) faction in Tripoli as well. At present there are two different National Oil Corporations (NOCs) which are claiming to be the legitimate controllers of the petroleum resources.
Libyan oil production has dropped off considerably from the 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) under the Jamahiriya governing system led by Gaddafi and his supporters. Libya for years was the most prosperous state in Africa has now been reduced to producing less than 400,000 (bpd) leaving the country scrambling for foreign exchange amid an extreme decline in oil prices over the last year.
Migrant Crisis Continues Amid Internal Divisions Despite the endorsement of the imperialist governments in Washington and the European Union (EU) member-states, the GNA junta has generated controversy among the two rival regimes and other factions vying for military and political control of the oil-rich state.
Compounding the Libyan instability in recent weeks is the fact that hundreds have died in their attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Officially well over 52,000 people have made the journey just this year alone. Many of the people who are subjected to the worst treatment by the human traffickers and militias occupying Libya are migrants coming from West Africa.
In a detailed article published by the British Guardian on June 17, it says “To even reach the sea, these West Africans all had to survive a horrific journey across the Sahara. If they don’t fall off the back of the smugglers’ pickup trucks, passengers are often kidnapped or beaten or die of dehydration.”
This same report goes on stressing “Their worst experiences, however, probably came inside Libya itself. Claimed by three rival regimes, and torn apart by a civil war waged between dozens of rival militias, Libya has become a hell on earth for migrant workers. In the security vacuum created by the absence of a strong central government, migrants have become easy prey for kidnappers and militias looking to raise money through ransoms, businessmen looking for slave labor and smugglers looking for passengers to exploit.”
The chaos engendered by the imperialist war of 2011 and its aftermath has turned Libya into a major source of African and even European instability. Governments controlling territories which are points of entry for the migrant population are seeking to halt the flow of people into their countries. Resistance to migration of people from Africa, the Middle East and Asia has strained relations between the European states in the South, Central and Eastern regions with those in the North and West.
Negotiations have taken place with the fractured regimes in Libya and the NATO state of Turkey to either prevent or return migrants and refugees who enter EU countries. In Europe itself, the displaced persons from the oppressed nations are subjected to institutional racism, xenophobia and violence from the security apparatus along with right-wing vigilantes.
The migrant, internally displaced and refugee crisis is one of the major issues facing the internationally community today yet remains absent from the discourse surrounding electoral politics and foreign policy. Reports from the UN Refugee Agency and other humanitarian organizations say that the problems of displacement is worse than it has ever been since the conclusion of World War II.
June 20 is designated as World Refugee Day and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe said in a statement that “Around 75 million international migrants are estimated to be living in the European Region alone, accounting for one third of all international migrants worldwide.” WHO also notes the rapid escalation of the crisis saying “Europe has experienced this acutely: over 1 million refugees and migrants arrived in European countries in 2015 alone, and over the course of the first 5 months of 2016 there have been over 200,000 new arrivals on European shores and at borders.”
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
British defence officials said they are considering basing military trainers in Libya and sending another warship to the Mediterranean, claiming they decided to proceed with the deployment after the EU agreed to boost an anti-people smuggling operation and enforce a UN arms embargo.
UK Considers Deploying Military Teams in Libya
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950401001362
The EU said this week it would extend Operation Sophia's mandate by one year to July 2017, and improve its capacity as per a UN resolution, as the EU tries to control the flow of weapons into Libya and refugees heading to Europe from its shores, Middle East Eye reported.
Sophia currently comprises five vessels and three helicopters charged with intercepting smugglers' boats and destroying them in international waters.
It comes after the British Prime Minister David Cameron said last month that the UK would "take an active leadership role in that process".
A spokesman for Britain's Ministry of Defence told Middle East Eye the UK was considering stationing military personal in Libyan ports to train the Libyan coastguard, as well as basing another Royal Navy warship off its coast.
British defence officials said they are considering basing military trainers in Libya and sending another warship to the Mediterranean, claiming they decided to proceed with the deployment after the EU agreed to boost an anti-people smuggling operation and enforce a UN arms embargo.
UK Considers Deploying Military Teams in Libya
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950401001362
The EU said this week it would extend Operation Sophia's mandate by one year to July 2017, and improve its capacity as per a UN resolution, as the EU tries to control the flow of weapons into Libya and refugees heading to Europe from its shores, Middle East Eye reported.
Sophia currently comprises five vessels and three helicopters charged with intercepting smugglers' boats and destroying them in international waters.
It comes after the British Prime Minister David Cameron said last month that the UK would "take an active leadership role in that process".
A spokesman for Britain's Ministry of Defence told Middle East Eye the UK was considering stationing military personal in Libyan ports to train the Libyan coastguard, as well as basing another Royal Navy warship off its coast.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
Africa Command (AFRICOM) nominee Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser is vocally supporting a heavier American military presence in Libya, testifying before Congress that he is "not aware of any overall grand strategy at this point,” in the north African country.
New AFRICOM Commander Wants More Boots on the Ground in Libya
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160624/1041848719/africom-wants-troops-in-libya.html
Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) asked Waldhauser if he thought it was wise to have the ability to order drone strikes without the blessing of the White House. The military official stated that, "It would be wise, it would certainly contribute to what we're trying to do inside Libya." He added that the Daesh presence in Libya poses "an imminent threat to the United States," and asserted that not bombing the country "doesn’t make sense."
Graham thanked Waldhauser for his testimony, remarking, "I can't thank you — I'm just — that's about as direct testimony as I've ever heard from this committee."
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) echoed Graham’s praise, saying "General Waldhauser, I want to thank you for your candor before the committee, we look forward to working with you. I think that Sen. Graham's questions clearly indicated that, at least as far as [Daesh] is concerned, that Africa is their next target of opportunity, and I think you are going to need a lot of help."
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook responded to Waldhauser’s testimony in a news conference on Tuesday. "It's clear," Cook stated, "as I think Gen. Waldhauser acknowledged, it's a complicated situation right now. And the most important thing in terms of our policy, and we believe for the region's policy, is for [the Libyan government] to take shape, take hold. And we'd like to, of course, be in a position to strengthen it as needed, going forward, along with our partners in the region."
CIA Director John Brennan claims that there are currently some 5,000-8,000 Daesh combatants in Libya. The US has held back on bombing Daesh in Libya in the past few months, but has conducted airstrikes against the terrorist group. In February, one of these airstrikes was said to have killed 40 Daesh operatives.
Libyan Armed Forces Striving to Defeat Terrorists in Benghazi Within Hours
http://sputniknews.com/africa/20160623/1041809439/libya-benghazi-terrorists.html
The Libyan Armed Forces plan to defeat terrorists in the eastern city of Benghazi in the next few hours, army spokesman Col. Ahmed Mismari told Sputnik on Thursday.
He stressed that 18 soldiers died during the military operation.
Last week, the Libyan Armed Forces under the control of the internationally-recognized parliament in Tobruk announced the general mobilization in the country. The operations were launched against various militant groups, such as al-Qaeda and Daesh, which had seized parts of the eastern towns of Benghazi and Ajdabiya.
Africa Command (AFRICOM) nominee Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser is vocally supporting a heavier American military presence in Libya, testifying before Congress that he is "not aware of any overall grand strategy at this point,” in the north African country.
New AFRICOM Commander Wants More Boots on the Ground in Libya
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160624/1041848719/africom-wants-troops-in-libya.html
Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) asked Waldhauser if he thought it was wise to have the ability to order drone strikes without the blessing of the White House. The military official stated that, "It would be wise, it would certainly contribute to what we're trying to do inside Libya." He added that the Daesh presence in Libya poses "an imminent threat to the United States," and asserted that not bombing the country "doesn’t make sense."
Graham thanked Waldhauser for his testimony, remarking, "I can't thank you — I'm just — that's about as direct testimony as I've ever heard from this committee."
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) echoed Graham’s praise, saying "General Waldhauser, I want to thank you for your candor before the committee, we look forward to working with you. I think that Sen. Graham's questions clearly indicated that, at least as far as [Daesh] is concerned, that Africa is their next target of opportunity, and I think you are going to need a lot of help."
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook responded to Waldhauser’s testimony in a news conference on Tuesday. "It's clear," Cook stated, "as I think Gen. Waldhauser acknowledged, it's a complicated situation right now. And the most important thing in terms of our policy, and we believe for the region's policy, is for [the Libyan government] to take shape, take hold. And we'd like to, of course, be in a position to strengthen it as needed, going forward, along with our partners in the region."
CIA Director John Brennan claims that there are currently some 5,000-8,000 Daesh combatants in Libya. The US has held back on bombing Daesh in Libya in the past few months, but has conducted airstrikes against the terrorist group. In February, one of these airstrikes was said to have killed 40 Daesh operatives.
Libyan Armed Forces Striving to Defeat Terrorists in Benghazi Within Hours
http://sputniknews.com/africa/20160623/1041809439/libya-benghazi-terrorists.html
The Libyan Armed Forces plan to defeat terrorists in the eastern city of Benghazi in the next few hours, army spokesman Col. Ahmed Mismari told Sputnik on Thursday.
He stressed that 18 soldiers died during the military operation.
Last week, the Libyan Armed Forces under the control of the internationally-recognized parliament in Tobruk announced the general mobilization in the country. The operations were launched against various militant groups, such as al-Qaeda and Daesh, which had seized parts of the eastern towns of Benghazi and Ajdabiya.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: Libya
Benghazi car bombing left five people killed and 13 injured, local media reported.
At Least Five Killed, 13 Injured in Car Blast in Libya
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160625/1041934099/car-bombing-injured-libya.html
At least five people, including two children, were killed and 13 injured in a car bombing in the Libyan city of Benghazi, local media reported.
The blast took place in front of Benghazi’s Jalaa Hospital late on Friday, the Libyan Herald newspaper said. At least three of those injured were reported to be in a critical condition.
Benghazi car bombing left five people killed and 13 injured, local media reported.
At Least Five Killed, 13 Injured in Car Blast in Libya
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160625/1041934099/car-bombing-injured-libya.html
At least five people, including two children, were killed and 13 injured in a car bombing in the Libyan city of Benghazi, local media reported.
The blast took place in front of Benghazi’s Jalaa Hospital late on Friday, the Libyan Herald newspaper said. At least three of those injured were reported to be in a critical condition.
