Western war on Libya

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

UK Navy ship due in Libyan waters

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/27/467611/UK-deploy-warship-Libya

The United Kingdom is all set to send a naval warship into Libyan waters in an effort to curb the trafficking of people and arms there, officials say.

Speaking from the G7 summit in Japan, a British government spokesman said Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday focused on making an intervention on the refugee boats in the Mediterranean and how to tackle the issue.

Britain has already sent four vessels along with NATO to monitor the waters off Libya.

Cameron argued in March that he wanted to extend the UK intervention closer to the Libyan coast.

The new deployment will be able to enter Libyan waters with UN approval, according to the Guardian.

The unnamed official said the warship will help “intercept boats off the coast, both those carrying migrants and those carrying arms.”

“We will now take an active leadership role in that process. Four military planners have deployed to Rome this week to the HQ of Operation Sophia, the naval mission in the Med, where they will work with other EU colleagues to agree a plan going forward for the Libyan coastguard,” he said.

“Once that is established we will then send a training team to assist the Libyan authorities in improving their coastguard maritime operations. Then, once the relevant UN security resolutions are in place, we intend to deploy a navy warship to the region to assist in the interception of arms and human smuggling.”

Last month, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond suggested the UK could use military force in Libya to help legitimate Libyan authorities bring the security situation in the country under control.

Hammond said the UK would consider military airstrikes and naval support for a Libyan-led attack on Daesh (ISIL) militants in Sirte.

Daesh took control of Libya’s northern port city of Sirte in June 2015, making it the first city to be governed by the Takfiri militant group outside of Iraq and Syria.

The terrorist group has taken advantage of the chaos in the North African state, boosting its presence in the violence-wracked country and recruiting militants from among members of local tribes, as well as enlisting former military personnel belonging to the ousted Muammar Gaddafi regime.

Since August 2014, when militias seized the capital city, Tripoli, Libya has been divided between two governments; one is run by the rebels in the capital and the other, which is internationally-recognized, is stationed in the far eastern Libyan city of Tobruk.

Libya’s rival factions in January announced the formation of a unity government as part of an UN-brokered peace deal aimed at stemming the ongoing chaos in the country. Violence, however, continues to grip the nation and there is no sign of let-up in militant attacks there.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

UN urges Nepal to supply troops to Libya

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/un-urges-nepal-to-supply-troops-to-libya/

The United Nations is in negotiations with Nepal so the landlocked country can supply troops to protect its mission in Tripoli when it returns, a UN official said.

Nepal already has a 245 strong troop deployment protecting the UN mission in Iraq.

Nepal, which has 245 troops protecting the UN mission in Iraq.

Only last month the United Nations announced that it would return to Libya’s capital to work alone gauge the UN-recognised government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

The UN mission evacuated Tripoli in July 2024 when fighting between rival groups intensified.

No announcement has been made on how many troops Nepal would have to commit to Tripoli.

The oil-rich North African country has been plagued by civil war and seen the rise of ISIS since Islamist insurgents with the backing of NATO airstrikes toppled Colonel Qaddafi.

Libyan forces advance on ISIS stronghold

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/libyan-forces-advance-isis-stronghold/

The Misrata Brigades reportedly liberated the 30km Gates near the strategic coastal city of Sirte on Friday after a series of clashes with Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS).

The city of Sirte is considered the Islamic State’s most prized possession in Libya because it positions them near the country’s large oil refineries and only 300 km east of the capital.

ISIS has suffered a series of setbacks along the Libyan coast after failing to capture the small village of Abu Guweiran in Misrata’s southern countryside.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

Russian diplomat: Too early to speak about real government in Lybia

http://tass.ru/en/politics/879035

ROME, May 30. /TASS/. The situation in Libya is unfolding unfavorably, and it is too early to speak about a real government controlling the country, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told reporters on Monday.

"The situation in Libya is developing unfavorably and very acutely, the country is practically disintegrated. It has no government that would maintain real control over the situation," the diplomat said.

He said the House of Representatives in Tobruk has not approved as of yet the Government of National Accord. "Without this decision, it is impossible to say the government is legitimate and can start acting," the top diplomat said.

He said sanctions (by the European Union) could not solve the problem. "Sanctions as an instrument should be regarded cautiously, as the main thing is not to harm in the grave situation that Libya is facing. Sanctions cannot solve the problem, on the contrary they can only harm if only one side comes under them," Gatilov said.

The international community has recognized the Government of National Accord led by Fayez al-Sarraj, set up with its contribution. The Cabinet moved to Tripoli, but works on a protected closed territory. Earlier, the European Union imposed a set of sanctions against some Libyan politicians accusing them of stalling the process of integration and settlement in the country.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

Libya forces retake two towns from Daesh

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/01/468396/Libya-Daesh-Government-of-National-Accord-Daesh

Forces aligned with Libya’s new Government of National Accord (GNA) have pushed Daesh out of two towns within a matter of two days.

On Tuesday, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) took control of Nawfiliyah, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the northern city of Sirte, which is the Takfiri terrorist group’s stronghold in Libya.

The PFG captured the nearby town of Ben Jawad on Monday after clashes that killed five of its troopers.

Before the recent advancement, other GNA-tied military brigades had driven Daesh back to the outskirts of Sirte from the west.

Also on Tuesday, the government announced the establishment of an operations room to command the battle against Daesh on the coastal stretch between the eastern town of Ajdabiya and Sirte, which includes the PFG-controlled oil terminals of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf.

Daesh captured Sirte in June 2015 before pushing its way outward across the Mediterranean coast, and attacking the terminals in January.

Last month, the New York-based Human Rights Watch released a report cataloging the atrocities carried out by the terrorist group in the city.

It contained “scenes of horror” described by the witnesses as they recounted Daesh brutalities dating back to February 2015, including the beheadings of dozens of residents accused by the group of espionage.

The group has relied on the chaos the country has been embroiled in since the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi back in 2011.

Libya has had two rival governments since 2014, when politician Khalifa Ghweil and his self-proclaimed government seized control of the capital, Tripoli, with the support of militia groups, forcing the internationally-recognized government to move to the country’s remote eastern city of Tobruk.

The two governments achieved a consensus on forming a unity government, the GNA, last December after months of UN-brokered talks in Tunisia and Morocco to restore order in the country.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Libya

Libya: Six Officials from the Former Government to be Released
https://libya360.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/libya-six-officials-from-the-former-government-to-be-released/

The Supreme Court announced that it will release six senior officials of the former government who had been detained without trial for the past five years, charged with suppression of the NATO-backed February 17th overthrow of the legitimate government in 2011. They include Mohamed Belkacem Zwai (former minister), Hafiz Zlitni (former minister and former governor of the Central Bank), Muhammad Ahmed al-Sharif (former minister), Abdul Majeed Almzouka, Ammar Mabrouk (former minister), and Hosni Louhichi.

The Attorney General in Tripoli said that since their trials had been postponed indefinitely the Court decided to honor the request of their lawyers and suspend imprisonment because of their age and fragile health.

In May, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for the immediate release of Al Hadba prisoners, stating their detention (and trials) have violated all international laws and norms.

They also called for the release of Dr. Dorda, Saadi Gaddafi and others, referring the matter to the Special Rapporteur on Torture.

No new decisions are forthcoming where detainees were sentenced to death by firing squad, despite the fact that they were denied a fair trial and had been tortured.


Saadi Gaddafi and the Plight of Libya’s Political Prisoners
https://vivalibya.wordpress.com/2016/05/26/tripoli-court-of-appeals-postpones-saadi-gaddafis-trial-to-july-12/

Saadi Gaddafi’s trial was postponed until July 12.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for the immediate release of all Al Hadba detainees, including Saadi Gaddafi, claiming their detention and trials have violated all international laws and norms. They have referred the matter to the Special Rapporteur on Torture.

But to whom do they address their concerns within Libya?

There is absolutely no accountability with regards to prisoners held in detention centers, including the notorious al Qaeda/LIFG -controlled Al Hadba prison.

Ibrahim Dabbashi, Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations for the internationally recognized House of Representatives in Tobruk, stated at the UN Security Council meeting today, in response to International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda’s demand for Saif Gaddafi’s extradition to the Hague, that neither the House of Representatives nor the new Government of Accord have any authority over detention centers in the country.

In the midst of this jurisdictional nightmare, the problem of legitimacy persists. The House of Representatives denied the Government of Accord its vote of confidence.

To this end, head of the Presidential Council, Fayez Serraj, is on tour, meeting with leaders of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, gathering support for a UN Security Council resolution that would grant his regime the legitimacy it so desperately craves.

Those who believe that the Government of Accord will end human rights abuses in Libya are deceived. The Shirkat Agreement (December17,2015) paved the way for the new regime to grant full immunity to violators. The Government of Accord’s Presidential/National Guard consists of 10,000 militia members. The danger is clear:

“The Libya Political Agreement (LPA – Skhirat) …referred to in the Vienna communiqué…included the disarming and dismantling of militias. However, since the GoA arrived in Tripoli, extremist militias operating under the “Libya Dawn” umbrella, were assigned to guard the PC. Simultaneously, Martin Koebler met in Istanbul with commanders of these militias, including al Qaeda’s Abdel Hakim Belhadj, to finalize power-sharing arrangements that would define their function under the regime. The plan was to replace the Libyan National Army (LNA) with the Presidential and National Guard.”

Regarding the Istanbul meetings held under the auspices of Turkish intelligence, Arabs of London published a detailed exposé. Khaled al-Sharif of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) proposed the assassination campaign targeting officers of the Libyan National Army as a means of neutralizing opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood’s usurpation of Libya. Since then, many members of the army in Tripoli have been killed. (Source)

In an ideal world, the prisoners held at Al Hadba who have been tortured, subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment and denied any semblance of a fair trial, would be released.

But the reality in Libya is far from the ideal and the rule of law has no force where militias reign. At no time since their imprisonment, have the prisoners been in greater danger than they are now.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

Libyan Militias Drive Daesh Out of Airbase Near Sirte - Reports

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160605/1040799033/libyan-militias-daesh-sirte.html

A Libyan militia group reportedly said Saturday it recaptured a strategic airbase south of Sirte from Daesh.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Gardabiya airbase, just 12 miles south of Daesh-controlled stronghold Sirte, was retaken on Saturday afternoon, according to the Libya Observer news website.

Libya has been in a political and security vacuum since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and the ouster of the North African nation’s long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Years of instability created a political and security vacuum in the country that was filled by Islamist militants. Daesh forces gained a foothold on the Libyan coast by capturing the cities of Sirte and Derna.

Libyan premier rejects foreign military intervention

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/05/468976/Libya-PM-foreign-military-intervention-Daesh-militants

The Libyan prime minister has dismissed the possibility of an international military intervention purportedly aimed at boosting the anti-Daesh fight in the conflict-plagued country.

“It’s true that we need help from the international community in our fight against terrorism and it’s true that this is something we have already received,” Fayez al-Sarraj said in an interview with French weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche published on Sunday.

“But we are not talking about international intervention,” Sarraj said, noting that foreign boots on Libyan soil could offend national pride and runs “contrary to our principles.”

“Rather we need satellite images, intelligence, technical help... not bombardments,” he pointed out.

Sarraj further noted that “total victory over Daesh in Sirte is close.”

“(We hope) that this war against terrorism will be able to unite Libya. But it will be long. And the international community knows that,” he said.

On Friday, Sarraj had said he was confident that forces loyal to Libya’s UN-backed unity government, known as Government of National Accord (GNA), would liberate the coastal city of Sirte, the main stronghold of Daesh terrorists in Libya.

In another development on Saturday, GNA loyalists took control of Ghardabiya air base, which lies about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Sirte, from Daesh extremists.

Spokesman Mohamed al-Gasri described the capture as strategically significant given that it cut off Daesh supply routes and “trapped them further” within the city.

Gasri added that three fighters from the government-backed brigades lost their lives and five others sustained injuries during Saturday’s clashes.

GNA forces also announced that they had liberated the town of Abu Hadi, situated 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) southeast of Sirte, from the clutches of Daesh Takfiris.

Separately, two militia groups operating in eastern Libya have expressed their support for the UN’s unity government, which seeks to put an end to years of factional power struggles.

On Saturday, the commanders of the special anti-terrorist force and a military intelligence brigade held a joint press conference with GNA Defense Minister-designate al-Mahdi al-Bargathi, and decided to throw their support behind the GNA.

Libya has had two rival governments since 2014, when politician Khalifa Ghweil and his self-proclaimed government seized control of the capital, Tripoli, with the support of militia groups, forcing the internationally-recognized government to move to the country’s remote eastern city of Tobruk.

The two governments achieved a consensus on forming a unity government, the GNA, last December after months of UN-brokered talks in Tunisia and Morocco to restore order in the country.

Having Saved Syria, Putin Now Looking to Do the Same to Libya

http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/having-saved-syria-putin-now-looking-do-same-libya/ri14797

Originally appeared at Al Arabiya

_http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2016/06/04/After-imposing-his-will-on-Syria-Putin-is-moving-onto-Libya.html

After imposing Moscow’s will on the situation in Syria, Putin is moving on to Libya. And this new proxy conflict he is waging with the West has many of the same hallmarks of the last one: the West backs a pitiful attempt at a ‘democratic’ government with unfortunate Islamist leanings, Putin backs an authoritarian, militaristic autocrat, and ISIS sits squarely in the middle, a target of everyone’s rhetoric but too rarely of their weapons.

And once again, the West is being outmaneuvered. The Western-backed government of National Accord ruling from Tripoli is anything but democratic, and is barely held together with the ‘protection’ of Islamist ‘Libya Dawn’, a coalition which includes former Al-Qaeda jihadists, amongst other interesting characters. And the ‘protection’ also comes at the cost of Dawn steadily usurping the institutions of this government recognized by the West and the UN. A very thin veil of civility is masking a very chaotic and merciless struggle for power between groups that have very little in common and very little shared notion of what Libya should look like in the future.

Meanwhile, in the eastern city of Tobruk, the elected parliament of Libya, the House of Representatives, increasingly alienated from the government by the intrusion of Dawn into the political process in Tripoli, is being attracted into the sphere of influence of the rebel General Haftar who controls the East of the country, most of the oil fields, and who is backed by Russia.

Now the Russians have just reportedly helped the East to print 4bn dinars, backed by that oil, and to consolidate a rival central bank to the one in Tripoli. In effect, Putin is helping Haftar build parallel state institutions to those in the West of the country. And, with their superior wealth and military power, the East can expect that in the medium-to-long term they will steadily usurp the legitimate institutions of the state, and eventually take over the whole of Libya.

And just like in Syria, there is no need for a public confrontation between the Western-backed government in Tripoli and the Russian-backed East. Both can pretend to arm their clients and even send troops on the ground under the pretext of fighting ISIS, who are holed up in Sirte, right in-between the two main factions.

Sphere of influence politics

What Putin is doing is good, old sphere of influence politics, just like in the Cold War. But the West is failing to respond in kind. They either refuse to acknowledge this reality, or are impotent to do anything about Putin’s grab for the Middle East.

The Obama administration, now in “legacy mode”, will not allow itself to be dragged into open involvement into Libya, while the Europeans who contributed most to the toppling of Qaddafi in 2011, Britain and France, are caught up in other serious business at home – the UK with its referendum on exiting the European Union, and France with some of the most serious industrial disputes in years.

The most worrying aspect of this for us should be the fact that, if this ploy works, Putin is establishing a template for how to take Middle Eastern countries into his sphere of influence that could extend to our traditional allies in the region. The militaristic, autocratic, and often secular dictators which we have traditionally backed, have now seen, in the wake of the Arab Spring, just how squeamish and unreliable the West can be about their administrations.

Public opinion and Western leaders have repeatedly backed the democratic uprisings, Islamist warts and all. But Putin and the Russians have shown no such squeamishness. They have stood by their ally Assad in Syria, and now are backing a similar kind of administration in Libya. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt must be watching closely.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Libya

[...]

Having Saved Syria, Putin Now Looking to Do the Same to Libya

http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/having-saved-syria-putin-now-looking-do-same-libya/ri14797

Originally appeared at Al Arabiya

_http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2016/06/04/After-imposing-his-will-on-Syria-Putin-is-moving-onto-Libya.html

After imposing Moscow’s will on the situation in Syria, Putin is moving on to Libya. And this new proxy conflict he is waging with the West has many of the same hallmarks of the last one: the West backs a pitiful attempt at a ‘democratic’ government with unfortunate Islamist leanings, Putin backs an authoritarian, militaristic autocrat, and ISIS sits squarely in the middle, a target of everyone’s rhetoric but too rarely of their weapons.

And once again, the West is being outmaneuvered. The Western-backed government of National Accord ruling from Tripoli is anything but democratic, and is barely held together with the ‘protection’ of Islamist ‘Libya Dawn’, a coalition which includes former Al-Qaeda jihadists, amongst other interesting characters. And the ‘protection’ also comes at the cost of Dawn steadily usurping the institutions of this government recognized by the West and the UN. A very thin veil of civility is masking a very chaotic and merciless struggle for power between groups that have very little in common and very little shared notion of what Libya should look like in the future.

Meanwhile, in the eastern city of Tobruk, the elected parliament of Libya, the House of Representatives, increasingly alienated from the government by the intrusion of Dawn into the political process in Tripoli, is being attracted into the sphere of influence of the rebel General Haftar who controls the East of the country, most of the oil fields, and who is backed by Russia.

Now the Russians have just reportedly helped the East to print 4bn dinars, backed by that oil, and to Libyan Government Calls for Russian Anti-Terror Role in Country
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160509/1039297787/libya-russia-ties.html

The Presidential Council of Libya, which is the name of country's national unity government, calls for Russia's contribution to the struggle against terrorists in the African nation, Ahmed Maiteeq, the council's vice chairman, told Sputnik Monday.L ibyan Government Calls for Russian Anti-Terror Role in Country
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160509/1039297787/libya-russia-ties.html

Now the Russians have just reportedly helped the East to print 4bn dinars, backed by that oil, and to consolidate a rival central bank to the one in Tripoli. In effect, Putin is helping Haftar build parallel state institutions to those in the West of the country. And, with their superior wealth and military power, the East can expect that in the medium-to-long term they will steadily usurp the legitimate institutions of the state, and eventually take over the whole of Libya.

And just like in Syria, there is no need for a public confrontation between the Western-backed government in Tripoli and the Russian-backed East. Both can pretend to arm their clients and even send troops on the ground under the pretext of fighting ISIS, who are holed up in Sirte, right in-between the two main factions.

The article is a "GREAT find", StormR1dR!

Up to this point, what's left of Gaddafi's legitimate Government (Haftar, etc.) had asked Russia and Putin to intervene but there were few indications, other than diplomatic overtones that Putin would intercede.

That measures have been taken" to build parallel state institutions, including helping the East print 4bn dinars and form a rival central bank" - in a non-aggressive (military) maneuver is a promising move towards some type of stabilization.

Libyan Government Calls for Russian Anti-Terror Role in Country
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160509/1039297787/libya-russia-ties.html

The Presidential Council of Libya, which is the name of country's national unity government, calls for Russia's contribution to the struggle against terrorists in the African nation, Ahmed Maiteeq, the council's vice chairman, told Sputnik Monday.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Libya

A Libyan militia group said on Sunday it recaptured a strategic airbase South of Sirte from ISIL terrorist group after a heavy battle.

ISIL Kicked out of Airbase near Sirte by Libyan Militias
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950316000426

The Gardabiya airbase, just 12 miles south of ISIL-controlled stronghold Sirte, was retaken on Saturday night, Libya Observer reported.

Libya has been in a political and security vacuum since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and the ouster of the North African nation’s long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Years of instability created a political and security vacuum in the country that was filled by militant groups. ISIL forces gained a foothold on the Libyan coast by capturing the cities of Sirte and Derna.

The Libyan Red Cross says the bodies of 133 refugees, including five children, have been washed up on Libya’s western coast in recent days.

133 refugee bodies found on Libyan coast: Red Cross
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/05/469053/Libya-Red-Cross-EU-Italy-Greece

Three-quarters of the dead refugees were women, said Red Cross spokesman, Al-Khalis al-Bosaifi on Sunday, noting that the bodies were found on the shore of the northwestern Zuwara City.

Bosaifi added that no documents were found with the bodies to identify their nationalities but they were mainly sub-Saharan Africans.

A local official said the refugees were believed to have taken their journey from the Libyan city of Sabratha.

People who hope to reach Italy from Libya pay a huge amount of money to human smugglers to give them places on their flimsy boats.

The head of the EU’s Mediterranean naval mission recently said that human trafficking accounts for about 30 to 50 percent of the GDP in northwestern Libya.

The UN refugee agency said the route between North Africa and Italy is “dramatically more dangerous” than the route between Turkey and Greece.

The agency said on Tuesday that some 880 people have drowned over the past week after a number of boats sank in the sea.

Large numbers of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa have died over the past months while trying to reach Europe via the sea.

Over 40,000 refugees have reached Italy after crossing the central Mediterranean so far this year. More than 2,000 people died during their dangerous journey.

Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

However, the flow of asylum seekers into Europe has slowed to a trickle in recent weeks after Balkan nations shut their borders in order to prevent the refugee influx into Europe.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

The article is a "GREAT find", StormR1dR!

Up to this point, what's left of Gaddafi's legitimate Government (Haftar, etc.) had asked Russia and Putin to intervene but there were few indications, other than diplomatic overtones that Putin would intercede.

That measures have been taken" to build parallel state institutions, including helping the East print 4bn dinars and form a rival central bank" - in a non-aggressive (military) maneuver is a promising move towards some type of stabilization.

Libyan Government Calls for Russian Anti-Terror Role in Country
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160509/1039297787/libya-russia-ties.html

The Presidential Council of Libya, which is the name of country's national unity government, calls for Russia's contribution to the struggle against terrorists in the African nation, Ahmed Maiteeq, the council's vice chairman, told Sputnik Monday.

Thank you angelburst29! :)

Another great article and some food for thought!

More Messy Meddling In Libya

http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/05/more-messy-meddling-in-libya.html

by Richard Galustian

May 28, 2016

Let us look at the latest 'comedy of errors' in Libya courtesy of the U.S./UN & UK and their appointed Presidency Council (PC) and Government of National Accord (GNA).

East Libya ordered four billion Libyan dinars to be printed by a Russian factory and first deliveries are starting and will be available through banks from the 1st June. Last week the PC wrote to the US Government saying the four billion was counterfeit. The US issued a formal statement, not from Washington, but on the Facebook page of the US Embassy in Libya stating they agreed, it was counterfeit. But the other day, the PC/GNA and PM designate Fayez Serraj himself made a volte face and said indeed that the currency being printed in Russia is legal. What is this currency confusion? Will the United States retract its statement saying that the democratically elected and internationally recognized Tobruk government is printing counterfeit currencies? Is Serraj trying to make nice with the Kremlin?

Questions abound. But what’s even more sickening is that the Islamic State (IS) in Libya reads all the same social media we do. They know Libya’s political spectrum and troubles like the currency double play works to their advantage.

Let us look at the military reality on the ground. Despite all denials by the UK and U.S. governments, there are certainly British Forces in and around Misrata working with militias to attack Libyan Islamic State. Yet the legitimate Libyan National Army (LNA) is securing strategic positions in the Sirte basin, and, to the west of Tripoli, the Zintanis, who fall under the LNA, pose a direct threat to the IS backers in Tripoli. They are also controlling most of the gas and oil that flows through its territory to the only oil ports to the West of Tripoli. In addition one other militia just outside Tripoli has just declared their allegiance to the LNA.

So the ludicrous decision by the Americans, Brits and Italians in Vienna on Monday the 16 May to arm Islamist militias under 'Libya Dawn', which importantly include the Misratan militias, seems to be proceeding with some help from Western armies but no one is admitting it. Did it not occur to them to arm the legitimate LNA commanded by Gen. Khalifa Hafter who was ratified in his position by the legitimate House of Representatives (HOR) parliament in Tobruk? Hafter understands the situation clearly and is pursuing Tobruk’s interests in going after Libya IS’ home base of Sirte.

The PC/GNA is a mirage; it does not exist. “It” controls only the small territory where sits a naval base, popularly called the bunker where so called PC/ GNA members all selected by the UN/US/UK can meet visiting dignitaries. Most of the time these jokers are outside Libya. Serraj was just in UAE and Saudi Arabia for example. Why go to Saudi and the UAE by the way? Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are supporting Tobruk. Is Serraj trying to make new friends with promises of future concessions in Libya in exchange of new support even if the Muslim Brotherhood and ex-Libyan Islamic Fighters Group (LIFG, an AQ affiliate) are still ruling Tripoli with Western backing? Another of many mysteries surrounding Western policy in Libya.

Let’s be clear: Serraj's position has effectively been hijacked by Misratan, Abdel Rahman Swehli and members of his family (which include the Deputy designate PM Maetig) where he, Swehli, heads the currently illegal State Council. No diplomat, policymaker, stakeholder, or other see this relationship. Astonishing and naive.

A question I have asked before but must ask again. Why is the international community persisting in this charade? This travesty is going to blow up literally in Western faces.

What’s the remedy to fix this sham? There is only one Libyan politician that can inhabit the international stage as an equal to any foreign counterparts and that is Dr. Mahmoud Jibril. His public persona is unequaled in the Libyan political spectrum. There is no one in Libya that has his stature and credibility. His desire is to secure the Libyan population and not play regional or religious games. He even has an economic plan to save Libya that is favorable and uniting. Why didn't the international community at least have picked him instead of unsuccessful and rather dubious businessmen like Serraj and Maetig. Or if not the sophisticated and urbane Jibril, why didn't the International community pick the Libyan Army and its Commander, Gen.Khalifa Hafter?

The answer is simple unfortunately – America and Britain are blindsided by their love affair with the Muslim Brotherhood and their adherents in Libya’s West and specifically in and around Tripoli. This error in judgement will cost the West and particularly the EU dearly in so many ways.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

Stoltenberg: NATO expects support for possible action in Libya

http://ria.ru/world/20160606/1443677920.html

BRUSSELS, June 6 -. RIA Novosti, Vladimir Dobrovolsky Possible action by NATO in Libya must be supported by the international community and conducted within the framework of UN efforts, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"We are ready to help the new government of national reconciliation in Libya, but we will only do so upon request and only as part of broader efforts of the UN. We have no plans to launch combat operations and combat the presence or on the ground in Libya, nor in Libyan territorial waters. We are discussing how to provide support to the new government, if the request goes We are focused on how to help in the creation of institutions We are also discussing with the EU, NATO could support its operation, "Sofia" -.. Stoltenberg said, speaking at an event in Brussels.

According to him, "No decisions have been taken."

"I would be very cautious in conjecture (that will make NATO in Libya - Ed) is now important to carefully evaluate the various alternatives and to discuss with the EU, the UN and the Libyan government, which approach is best." - Said the NATO Secretary General.

He noted that NATO is ready to help, but it should do so, "as will be acceptable to the wider international community and the government of Libya."

Pentagon: US watching the fight with IG in Libya, but the help does not provide

http://ria.ru/world/20160606/1443691771.html

WASHINGTON, June 6 -. RIA Novosti US closely watching the fight with the group "Islamic state" (IG, banned in Russia) in Libya, but did not provide military assistance to local forces, said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.

Commenting on Monday reports that militants from the IG released an air base near the city of Sirte, the Pentagon's representative welcomed this effort.

"We have seen this and, of course, believe that it is good that they (local forces) were able to clear the IG in Libya This is something for which we will follow very closely." - Cook said at the briefing.

"A small number of US forces contacted with local groups in Libya, but they have no training, assistance and advice given question was only in contact.." - He added, referring to the US role in the fight against the IG in Libya.

Earlier, the Libyan military, support the government of national consensus, captured from the militants IG airbase Gardabiya (Ghardabiya) south of the city of Sirte in northern Libya.

USA, together with its allies in 2014 carried out a military operation against the IG in Syria and Iraq, which is also assisted by the local groups. In recent years, militants of this group are active in Libya.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

ISIS retakes air base near Sirte after clashing with Libyan troops

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-retakes-air-base-near-sirte-clashing-libyan-troops/

After losing control of Al-Gardabiya Airport yesterday, Libya’s ISIS forces have since managed to recapture the airfield located just 20 kilometers south of Sirte.

Amaq News has released footage from the site, thus testifying to its recapture:

http://<iframe width="560" height="...ew" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Nevertheless, ISIS is still virtually surrounded by the Misrata Forces at Sirte, the Islamic State’s functioning capital in Libya.

The Misrata Forces are loyal to the U.N. backed Tripoli government which has vowed to capture all Islamic State areas in Libya.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

Libya's army repulsed the militants IG key bridge in the city of Sirte

http://ria.ru/world/20160608/1444681180.html

MOSCOW, June 8 -. RIA Novosti Libya's army during the operation to liberate Sirte was able to move into the city, despite the fierce resistance of the militants group "Islamic state" (IG, banned in Russia), the representative of the Libyan Armed Forces Brigadier General Mohammad al-Ghasri.

About the beginning of the operation to liberate the city of Sirte from the IG group it was announced in early May. Last week it became known that the military was able to enter into the city, which is the main stronghold of the IG in Libya.

Al-Ghasri told the Associated Press that the army has taken control of a key city bridge, which the terrorists used for the execution of their opponents. From the center of Sirte and the town's main square Zafrana soldiers separated only five kilometers, he added.

During the fighting on Wednesday, army units lost five fighters were killed, another 25 were injured.

In Libya, March 31 started to work the new government of national concord country headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. The government hopes to restore the integrity of the country, which since the overthrow in 2011 of Muammar Gaddafi's regime was on the verge of collapse. Some areas of Libya still captured militants linked to a terrorist group "Islamic State."

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Libya

Libyan Central Bank ordered 4 billion new Libyan dinars to be printed in Russia, Deputy Governor of Libyan Central Bank Idris Ehemer told Sputnik Wednesday.

Russia to Print Total of 4Bln Libyan Dinars - Libya's Central Bank
http://sputniknews.com/business/20160608/1041022641/libya-russia-dinars.html

A total of 400 million Russia-printed Libyan dinars ($292 million) has already been delivered to the eastern Bayda airport from Moscow.

"The Central Bank made ​​a deal with Russia's largest printing house to print four billion Libyan dinars, which will be delivered in [separate] parties," Ehemer said, abstaining from naming the printing house.

It has been reported that local banks are short of cash as entrepreneurs took their savings worth 24 billion dinars out of the country.

The Government of National Accord arrived in Tripoli in March to take charge of the country. Since the ouster of Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi by Western-backed Islamic extremists in 2011, Libya has been in a security vacuum that was filled by Islamist radicals.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

Libya - How Moscow Can Influence A Unity Deal

http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/06/libya-how-moscow-can-influence-a-unity-deal.html

Russia’s growing influence in Libya is reflecting their ever evolving new Middle East and North African policy.

While Libya has been divided between two parliaments and governments since 2014, Russia’s influence has grown with East Libya.

A review of the United Nations resolution on Libya’s arms embargo is likely to be voted upon early next week. However this will only be achieved if Russian concerns can be overcome.

Despite the international efforts a paradox remains. A partial lifting of the UN's arms embargo to one side will greatly increase the danger of swelling the intensity of the civil war and of risking some of those arms reaching the Islamic State in Libya.

The Russians do not understand the West's approach to extremists. Russia's logic is sound as shown in Syria. If it looks like a duck and walks and quacks like a duck; it probably is a duck, to paraphrase Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavarov comment on terrorists.

In Libya the two divided factions, the democratically elected eastern government and parliament, the House of Representatives (HoR), and the 'Libya Dawn' coalition of Islamist militias who created Tripoli's National Salvation Government (NSG), are now challenged by a third 'virtual' faction, the Government of National Accord (GNA) which was selected by the UN as a nine men, now reduced to seven, Presidency Council (PC), which in effect constitutes a GNA quorum.

Let me be clear: The international community supports a non-existent GNA headed by a Western patsy designated prime minister and six other men. To boot, this fledgling Western selected so called government still faces huge unpopularity from the masses who resent Western interference in its internal affairs.

The GNA, having no military forces of their own, have agreed with Dawn Militias that they be re-badged 'the Presidential Guard' and that they be the recipients of new weapons permitted by the UN if the resolution is accepted by the Security Council.

Interestingly Russia's UN Ambassador Churkin said "the highest priority" in Libya should be to encourage the HoR Parliament in the East approval of the new GNA government. A new twist. If anyone can persuade the East and the HoR to 'bless' the GNA, it will be the Russians that will be the broker.

Let’s note that the cards are now in East Libya's favor. They receive weapons through Egypt; they control their oil; they made their own currency, courtesy of Russia.

The fact is IS is not a priority for Libyan adversaries and it is not as huge a threat as some would have us believe. Despite what is tantamount to propaganda by a compliant almost government manipulated Western media, there is a relatively small number of IS present in the country of hundreds not thousands.

If the West let arms like heavy artillery and most importantly ammunition to go to 'the Dawn' militias, a sizeable proportion will undoubtedly end up in IS hands and the probable result will be that both will end up fighting Khalifa Hafter's Libyan Army of East Libya.

The Russians won't allow anything that doesn't protect the East Libyans. This Kremlin perspective is a reality Western nations don't seem to grasp. Equally the Russians still don't understand the West's unrealistic expectation to tag who’s who in Libya’s (and Syria's) terrorist spectrum. Neither do I.

Moscow knows Khalifa Haftar well as the Libyan General has made frequent trips to Russia. The Kremlin see’s Western behavior towards Haftar as mistaken. There is a disregard by the West for the actual players on the ground like Hafter, like the tribes, yet utmost consideration is given to 'the Dawn' Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood militias which seems illogical and inconceivable.

Then there is UN Special Envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler. The other day he said "Libya is a country awash with weapons; 20 million pieces of weaponry in a land of six million inhabitants." Kobler then childishly added, that "these weapons do not fall from the sky" adding "These arms fuel the conflict and shipments must end". Yet he was in Vienna last month when it was agreed to do just that; to deliver more weapons.

Is he schizophrenic?

Kobler’s mixed messages are making the Russians even more assertive. Actually one cannot help noting an unexpected consequence has been that both (East & West) NOC's and both CBL's are talking to one another. The international community and it's mostly incompetent bureaucrats and diplomats would have you believe any such positive movements between Libyans is their doing; that's nonsense.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft has presented this week to other Security Council members a British-drafted new Libya resolution and has stated he hopes for a vote as early as Monday.

Now we must wait for Russia's stance on the proposed resolution as it becomes a more strident player in the entire MENA region. Maybe the road to unity for Libya will end up going through Moscow.

UK court to bring no charges against MI6 over abduction of Libyans

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/09/469596/mi6-uk-libya-gaddafi-belhaj-Tripoli

Prosecutors with the UK Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales are set to announce that they are to bring no charges against the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6, over its role in abduction of Libyans opposing former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

According to a report by the Guardian on Wednesday, CPS was about to announce that MI6 could be let go free despite documents revealing its role in rendition of two Libyan men and a pregnant woman to authorities working for the late leader of the African country.

A staunch critic of Gaddafi, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, was arrested in the Thai capital Bangkok in a joint UK-US operation in March 2004 and transferred to the Libyan capital Tripoli for interrogation and torture along with his pregnant wife and fellow Libyan dissident Sami al-Saadi, according to the documents released late May.

Belhaj was injected with “truth serum” and was tortured by the CIA before he was flown, along with his family, to the Libyan capital, where he was initially interrogated by British officers.

MI6 cooperation with the Libyan intelligence led to his arrest. The spy agency also updated their Libyan friends about the French and Moroccan aliases used by him five days ahead of the flight.

“I wasn’t allowed a bath for three years and I didn’t see the sun for one year,” said Belhaj (pictured below). “They hung me from the wall and kept me in an isolation cell. I was regularly tortured.”

The CPS decision in regard to the documents and their damning content could be announced as early as Thursday.

The decision would be welcomed by Sir Mark Allen, the then counter-terrorism chief at MI6, who has already been questioned over correspondence with Tripoli.

One of Allen’s letters to Libyan intelligence chief Moussa Koussa clearly demonstrated the British involvement in Belhaj’s case.

“I congratulate you on the safe arrival of Abu Abd Allah Sadiq [Abdul-Hakim Belhaj]. This was the least we could do for you and for Libya to demonstrate the remarkable relationship we have built over the years. I am so glad,” Allen wrote at the time.

The new decision could put an end to the Scotland Yard’s probe into the so-called extraordinary rendition program run along with the CIA.

Moreover, It would be hailed by Jack Straw (pictured above), who served at the helm of MI6 as the foreign secretary at the time.

Investigations, underway for months, have frustrated police and prosecutors particularly because many eyewitnesses fail to recall who was responsible for the measures or knew about them.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Re: Libya

Libya’s unity government recaptures Daesh stronghold of Sirte

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/11/469879/Libya-Sirte-Daesh-unity-government

Forces loyal to Libya’s unity government say they have taken back the country’s northern port city of Sirte from the Daesh Takfiri group in a major offensive against terrorists in the North African country.

The triumphant troops managed to retake the city following fierce street battles on Friday, a day after the naval forces recaptured the coastal areas.

Libyan forces had already seized control over some key areas on the city's outskirts, including an air base, several military camps and a roundabout, where Daesh had previously hung the bodies of executed people.

Reuters quoted pro-government forces as saying that at least 11 of their fighters were killed in the Friday battle. The troops are still engaged in sporadic street clashes to completely cleanse the city from terrorists.

Sirte, the major Daesh stronghold outside Iraq and Syria, had fallen to the hands of the Takfiris in February 2015. The full recapture of the city is a major boost to the Government of National Accord (GNA), which has come to office through support from the United Nations.

Daesh has been taking advantage of the chaos embroiling Libya since the NATO-backed overthrow and death of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi back in 2011.

The oil-rich North African country has had two rival governments since 2014, when politician Khalifa Ghweil and his self-proclaimed government seized control of the capital Tripoli with the support of militia groups, forcing the internationally-recognized government to move to the country’s remote eastern city of Tobruk.

The two governments achieved a consensus on forming a unity government, the GNA, last December after months of UN-brokered talks in Tunisia and Morocco to restore order to the country.