Libya Faces A Growing Islamist Threat

Libya Faces Growing Islamist Threat -- The Guardian

Exclusive: Diplomats warn that militants squeezed out of Mali by western intervention are hitting targets in Tripoli.

Diplomats are warning of growing Islamist violence against western targets in Libya as blowback from the war in Mali, following last week's attack on the French embassy in Tripoli.

The bomb blast that wrecked much of the embassy is seen as a reprisal by Libyan militants for the decision by Paris the day before to extend its military mission against fellow jihadists in Mali.

The Guardian has learned that jihadist groups ejected from their Timbuktu stronghold have moved north, crossing the Sahara through Algeria and Niger to Libya, fuelling a growing Islamist insurgency.

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My Comment: Libya is in turmoil .... but at least the government is now in a position where it's coffers are being filled with oil money.

Gaddafi's Weapons Are Fuelling Multiple Conflicts

The report suggests that Libyan ammunition are showing up in the continuing war being waged by al-Shabab Photo: REUTERS

Libyan Arms That Went Missing Under Gaddafi 'Fuelling Multiple Conflicts' -- The Telegraph

Libyan arms that went missing during the fighting to remove Col Muammar Gaddafi are now spreading ever further afield, being used in conflicts as far apart as Niger, Somalia, Gaza and Syria, a UN report says.

The country's revolutionary authorities were warned of the loss of control of Gaddafi's huge arms stockpiles at the end of the conflict, but the extent to which they had been ferried to insurgencies across the region became clear during recent fighting in Mali.

Then, weapons and explosives believed to be from Libya were used during the capture by al-Qaeda-linked militants of an oil facility in southern Algeria, in which scores of hostages including Britons were killed.

The new report by a special UN security council committee suggests that they have now travelled even further, with Libyan ammunition showing up in the continuing war being waged by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda offshoot in Somalia.

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My Comment: The main focus from the West and Libyan authorities is to confiscating and retrieve any loose shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles .... but it is also true that the more conventional weapons are fuelling carnage across Africa and points beyond.

Libya Struggles To Build A Military

Libyan National Congress President Mohammed Magarief (second r.) shakes hands with officers of the Libyan National Army during a graduation ceremony for students of military academies in Tripoli February 20. Ismail Zitouny/Reuters

A Land Of Militias, Libya Struggles To Build A Military -- Christian Science Monitor

The Libyan government wants a professional standing army, but the many militias still on the streets are too good at their job to be replaced with a fledgling, inexperienced military.

In the seventeen months since Muammar Qaddafi was killed, Libya has made building an army a top national priority. But progress toward achieving this goal has been slow at best, with an official admitting that he does not even know how many soldiers are currently in the army.

Public statements by senior Libyan leaders suggest that there is little disagreement over the notion that the country desperately needs a functioning military to ensure a peaceful transition – and a clean break from the Qaddafi legacy of a weak army dwarfed by powerful brigades loyal to the autocrat’s sons. However, political will alone hasn't been enough to effect serious reforms.

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My Comment: This is what I call an uphill battle. But the central Libyan government does have one big advantage, they control the bulk (if not all) of Libya's oil resources. In short .... they do have the money. With time they will be able to leverage this power into building a viable and effective military .... but it will take time.

Libya Declares Matial Law In Southern Provinces

Libya Orders Borders In South Closed -- BBC

Libya's parliament has ordered the temporary closure of southern borders and declared seven southern regions restricted military areas.

A parliament spokesman, Omar Humidan, said the move was aimed at stemming the flow of illegal immigrants and goods.

There was no indication of how long borders with Chad, Niger, Sudan and Algeria would remain shut.

Libya's southern regions have struggled with lawlessness since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled last year.

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More News On Libya Closing Four Borders And Declaring Southern Libya A Military Zone

Libya closes borders, declares martial law in south -- AFP
Libya Closes Four Borders, Declares Southern Military Operation -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Libya Abruptly Closes Its Borders With Four Countries -- allAfrica.com
Libya seals its southern border -- Al Jazeera
Libya declares emergency law in southern regions -- RT
Libya orders temporary closure of borders: state agency -- Reuters
Libya abruptly closes its borders with four countries -- Sudan Tribune

Second Building Attacked During The U.S. Consulate Terror Attack Was A CIA Post

Revealed: Second U.S. Building Attacked In Libya Terror Raid Was CIA Base . . . As It Emerges American Drones Were Circling Above But Were 'Too Slow' To Act -- Daily Mail

* Second building in Benghazi had previously been described as an 'annexe'
* Two SEALs died while defending base a mile away from U.S. consulate
* American drones were in the sky above city during deadly September 11 raid

The 'annexe' to the U.S. consulate in Benghazi which was attacked by militants last month was a CIA building, it has been revealed.

The intelligence base, which has previously been described only as a 'safe house', was the building which two Navy SEALs were defending when they died in the terrorist raid.

It was around a mile from the consulate where ambassador Chris Stevens and diplomat Sean Smith were killed on the night of September 11.

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Update: 'Annex' hit in Libya terror attack was CIA post, officials say -- FOX News

My Comment: The Daily Mail and FOX News are behind the curve on this one .... this story was reported on 10 days ago.

Libya's Political Crisis Continues

Libya's Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagour attends a news conference in Tripoli September 27. On Sunday Libya' national congress voted to dismiss Abu Shagour from his post. Ismail Zitouny/Reuters

Libyan Assembly Fires PM, Prolonging Struggle to Form Government -- Voice of America

Libyan lawmakers have fired their new interim prime minister by voting no confidence in his proposed Cabinet, prolonging the struggle to form a government capable of uniting and stabilizing the war-torn nation.

Libya's General National Congress rejected Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur's Cabinet lineup Sunday by a vote of 125-44 with several abstentions, resulting in his removal from office. He had offered lawmakers a lineup of 10 ministers, scaled down from his original list of 29 ministries, proposed last week.

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More News On Libya's Political Crisis

Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur dismissed -- BBC
Libyan prime minister ousted in no-confidence vote, meaning delays for attack investigation -- Washington Post
Libyan Prime Minister Ousted After Lawmakers Reject Cabinet -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Libya's national congress votes to dismiss prime minister -- Christian Science Monitor
Libya’s Prime Minister Is Dismissed -- New York Times
Libyan lawmakers remove prime minister from post -- L.A. Times
Libya Politician Fails in Vote on Cabinet Plan -- Wall Street Journal
Libya parliament votes to remove PM from post -- USA Today
Libya's congress rejects crisis government plan -- CNN

Missing Heat-Seeking Missiles In Libya

Libyan rebels had amassed large quantities of heavy weapons, stolen from Gaddafi’s arsenals last year. Anis Mili/Reuters

Libya Militia Leader: Heat-Seeking Missiles, Other Weapons Stolen During Firefight -- Washington Post

BENGHAZI, Libya — The commander of a powerful Libyan militia said Monday that looters had stolen “a large number” of shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles from the militia’s base when protesters who called for dismantling the country’s militias overran the compound.

Ismail Salabi, the commander of Rafallah al-Sahati, a powerful Islamist militia in Benghazi, said in an interview that the missiles, used by fighters to “hit airplanes” and known to the U.S. intelligence community as MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems), were stolen along with 2,000 semiautomatic rifles and ammunition, as the militia withdrew from its base amid a firefight early Saturday.

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My Comment: This is ominous.

U.S. Official": Benghazi Consulate Was "Terrorist Attack"

U.S. Official Says Benghazi Consulate Was "Terrorist Attack" -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi last week in which four Americans died was a "terrorist attack" that may have had an al Qaeda connection, a top U.S. counterterrorism official told Congress on Wednesday.

Rocket-propelled grenades and mortars struck the consulate on September 11, the anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the United States. U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died.

"They were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy," Matthew Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said in response to a question at a Senate hearing.

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Update: Obama official: Benghazi was a terrorist attack -- The Cable/Foreign Policy

My Comment: I guess in these subsequent meetings, US officials learned the facts.

Destroyed Consulate of United States in Benghazi

An close view of the damaged consulate of the United States in Benghazi  was attacked by the angry crowd resulting in the death Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and three embassy staff. Crowd  blamed America for the film which insulted the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

Libya's Benghazi Airport Shuts Down When Islamists Fire At US Drones Flying Overhead

U.S. Drones Fly Over Benghazi; Cause Airport To Shut -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Libya closed its air space over Benghazi airport temporarily because of heavy anti-aircraft fire by Islamists aiming at U.S. reconnaissance drones flying over the city, days after the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an attack.

The closure of the airport prompted speculation that the United States was deploying special forces in preparation for an attack against the militants who were involved in the attack.

A Libyan official said the spy planes flew over the embassy compound and the city, taking photos and inspecting locations of radical militant groups who are believed to have planned and staged the attack on the U.S. consulate on Tuesday.

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My Comment: Unbelievable .... and a clear sign that the Libyan government does not even control the area around a major airport.

Libya Delays Trial Of Muammar Gaddafi's Son

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi after his capture. Photograph: Ismail Zitouni/Reuters

Libya Delays Trial Of Muammar Gaddafi's Son To Hear From Spy Chief -- The Guardian

Abdullah al-Senussi to be asked for evidence about Saif al-Islam, as Libyans defy judges at The Hague.

Libya has said it will delay the trial of Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, to gather evidence against him from the former spy chief who was extradited to Tripoli earlier this week.

Abdullah al-Senussi, Libya's former chief of intelligence, is expected to know the secrets of many former regime figures, including Saif.

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Update: Trial of Gaddafi son likely to be delayed after spy chief arrest -- Reuters

My Comment: Any predictions that both men will eventually be convicted for 'crimes against humanity' and executed?

Gaddafi's Ex-Spy Chief Is Extradited To Libya

Gadhafi’s Ex-Spy Chief Back in Libya -- Voice of America

Libyans are rejoicing now that the spy chief for ex-leader Moammar Gadhafi has been returned to stand trial.

Libya confirmed Wednesday Abdullah al-Senussi was extradited from Mauritania, where he had been hoping to hide. Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib told reporters in Tripoli al-Senussi will get a fair trial, accusing him of depriving many Libyans of that same right during Gadhafi's rule.

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More News On The Extradition Of Gaddafi's Ex Spy Chief

Gadhafi's spy chief in Libyan hands -- AP
Mauritania deports Libya spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi -- BBC
Mauritania: Former Gadhafi spy chief extradited to Libya -- CNN
Gaddafi's ex-spy chief handed back to Libya -- Reuters
Kadafi spy chief sent to Libya amid worries about fair trial -- L.A. Times
Abdullah al-Senussi: spy with secrets of Lockerbie bombing sent back to Libya -- The Guardian
US calls for fair trial for ex-Libya spy chief -- AFP
Fair trial urged as spy boss Senussi deported to Libya -- BBC
Libyan spy chief Senussi faces interrogation over Lockerbie and Yvonne Fletcher -- The Telegraph
Abdullah al-Senussi: spy chief who knew Muammar Gaddafi's secrets -- The Guardian
Extradition of Abdullah al-Senussi is a blow to international justice -- Geoffrey Robertson, The Guardian

My Comment: If there is someone who knows where all the skeletons are buried .... it is this ex-spy chief.

Libya's Moderate Islamic Coalition Wins Election Over Islamists

Mahmoud Jibril's National Forces Alliance has won more than double the seats of its principle rival. Photograph: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

Final Election Results in Libya Show Liberals Lead with 62 Percent of Votes -- Tripoli Post

Tripoli— In ceremony at the Libyan elections ‘media center Tuesday evening the final results of the first voting in Libya in five decades, the primary results have been announced showing that and become clear that the National Forces Alliance (NFA) has gained 39 seats while in second place with 62 percent of the votes, the Justice and Construction Party (JCP) has got 17 seats.

As to the other parties, the National Front Party has gained three seats, and the Union Party for Homeland, Wadi Al-Hayat Gathering and the Central National Current received two seats each.

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More News On The Final Results Of Libya's Elections

Liberal alliance scores wins in Libya poll results -- BBC
Libya's Jibril beats Islamists in vote, no majority -- Reuters
Liberal coalition makes strides in historic Libyan election -- CNN
Libyan elections favor secular coalition over Islamist party -- USA Today
Mahmoud Jibril's centrist party dominates Libyan election -- The Guardian
Liberals have the edge in Libya vote but no clear majority -- AFP
Libya election results put secular, liberal alliance first -- FOX News/AP
In Libya's first post-Qaddafi elections, pragmatism trumps ideology -- Christian Science Monitor

The Libyan Conflict Still Goes On

Fighters In Misrata, Libya, Spoiling For A Fight Against Last Gadhafi Loyalists -- McClatchy News

MISRATA, Libya — The only proof that Mohammed Gugu, 21, is a legitimate Libyan fighter is the shrapnel scar on his left leg that he picked up last year in during the battle to liberate the country from Moammar Gadhafi. Gugu works as a shutter installer most days, except when his self-proclaimed brigade commander calls him back to the front lines, as he did Wednesday.

Gugu, a member of the Eagles of Misrata brigade, donned his ill-fitting camouflage jacket and reassembled the machine gun mounted on top of his pickup truck, which he fired for the first time a year ago. Two Libyan journalists had been captured from the last bastion of Gadhafi supporters, offering commanders the perfect pretext to order their fighters back to finish the war.

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My Comment: It's going to take decades for Libya to get it's act together. But i am still very optimistic .... with a promising election process, enormous oil wealth, and some of the best beaches in the entire Mediterranean just waiting to be developed .... my gut is telling me that Libya will eventually succeed.

Islamists Fail In Libyan Vote

Libyan Islamists Suffer Losses As Final Poll Result Delayed -- Bloomberg Businessweek

Libya’s main Islamist party has recorded further setbacks in the latest results from the country’s first free election since Muammar Qaddafi’s downfall.

As election officials postponed the final declaration until today or tomorrow, partial tallies showed the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction party falling far behind the National Forces Alliance of Mahmoud Jibril, a University of Pittsburgh PhD who served both Qaddafi and the rebels that overthrew him.

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More News On Libya's Elections

Liberals sweep party seats in east Libya: partial tally -- AFP
Islamists falter in Libyan vote -- UPI
Jibril's bloc wins party seats in east Libya -- Al Jazeera
Libya Islamist chief won't concede election defeat -- Chicago Tribune/Reuters
Libya's Jibril extends vote lead with Benghazi rout -- Reuters
Libya’s former rebel envoy brings populist pull to Western-looking political coalition -- Washington Post/AP
Libya's rebel PM Jibril seen as unifying figure -- Reuters
Outgoing leader says Libya won’t be ruled by Islamists, unlike Egypt, Tunisia -- Washington Post/AP
Libya’s election: A big step for a battered country -- The Economist
The Libyan elections were another step towards stability -- Oliver Miles, The Guardian
Why the Islamists Are Not Winning in Libya -- Abigail Hauslohner, Time

Diverse Coalition Has Edge Over Islamists In Libyan Elections

Mahmoud Jibril leads the National Forces Alliance in Libya. The coalition is likely to serve “as a bridge between the old and new Libya,” one analyst said. (James Lawler Duggan / MCT / July 8, 2012)

In Libya, Diverse Coalition Has Edge Over Islamists In Elections -- L.A. Times

Libya's National Forces Alliance appears headed for a landslide win. The coalition's wide-ranging views and a lack of Islamist-liberal polarization are factors.

TRIPOLI, Libya — The main street in Misurata remains shot to pieces. In Tripoli's Janzour suburb, displacement camps dot the landscape.

Yet Libya, site of the Arab world's most violent revolution last year, staged largely peaceful national elections over the weekend, with victory appearing likely for a coalition appealing to a wide range of ideological views that is led by one of the main figures in the war that ousted longtime strongman Moammar Kadafi.

Preliminary vote counts suggest a landslide triumph for the National Forces Alliance, or NFA, led by former Transitional National Council Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, a Western-educated political scientist.

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More News On Libya's Elections

Libyan moderates on course to claim election victory -- The Telegraph
Libya's Mahmoud Jibril calls for national unity -- BBC
Neither liberal nor Islamist: Who are Libya's frontrunners? (+video) -- Christian Science Monitor
Mahmoud Jibril, a force for moderation in Libya -- The Guardian
The Arab Spring’s spirit still burns in Libya -- The Telegraph
Despite Fairly Smooth Election, Attacks in Libya Show Unrest -- New York Times
Libya’s Election -- New York Times editorial
Libya’s all-important post-election steps -- Washington Post editorial
In Libya elections, lessons for Arab Spring -- Christian Science Monitor editorial
The Libyan model -- Baltimore Sun editorial

Libya's Elections -- News Roundup July 9, 2012

Libya Breaks With Post-Arab Spring Trend By Leaning Towards Moderate -- Sydney Morning Herald

BENGHAZI: A coalition led by a Western-educated political scientist appeared overnight to be beating Islamist parties in Libya's first election after Muammar Gaddafi, breaking an Islamist wave that swept across neighbouring Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprisings.

The preliminary results, supported by independent monitors and party representatives, reflect in part the well-known name and tribal connections of the coalition's founder, Mahmoud Jibril.

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More News On Libya' Elections

Election observers give thumbs-up to Libyan vote -- Reuters
Preliminary results expected in Libya's historic election -- CNN
Mahmoud Jibril heads for victory in Libya -- The Australian/AFP
Libyan elections: moderate Mahmoud Jibril poised for victory -- The Guardian
Early Libyan Election Returns Good for Jibril Alliance -- Voice of America
Libya’s Optimistic Leader: Mahmoud Jibril Poised for Historic Election Victory -- Daily Beast
Election results in Libya break an Islamist wave -- New York Times
Libya's joyous election: 3 takeaways -- The Week

Libyan Navy's Special Operations Force

Soldiers of the Libyan National Army parade with their military pick-up vehicles during the graduation ceremony of new batch of the Libyan Navy special forces in the Mediterranean sea port of Tripoli.

Chief of staff of the Libyan armed forces, Yussef al-Manqush (L) and Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib (R)

Libyans Go To The Polls: Election News Roundup

Libyans celebrate on the streets in Tripoli's Martyrs' Square after casting their vote during the National Assembly election, July 7, 2012. Voice of America

Libyans Turn Out Big, Then Celebrate Historic Election -- CNN

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- After four decades of political exclusion, Libyans on Saturday night celebrated a historic election that many saw as the African nation's first steps to building a free and democratic nation.

The landmark parliamentary vote was marred in places by disruptions that prompted polling centers to close, but the overall turnout was higher than expected.

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More News On Libya's Elections

Libya election: Count under way after historic vote -- BBC
Millions Vote in Libya's 'Extraordinary' Elections -- Voice of America
Libyans vote in first free elections in decades -- L.A. Times
Libyans celebrate first free vote, West hails election as democratic milestone -- Al Arabiya
Libya Holds First National Ballot in Four Decades -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Braving Areas of Violence, Voters Try to Reshape Libya -- New York Times
Libyans vote in 1st nationwide election in decades but violence underscores challenges ahead -- Washington Post/AP
Libyans celebrate free vote despite violence -- Reuters
Obama hails Libya elections as democratic milestone -- Reuters
Facts about key parties in Libya's election -- Boston.com/AP

My Comment: I know that Libya still has a long way to go .... but who would have thought a year and a half ago that today's election was even possible.

As Libyans Go To The Polls Today, Violence And Revenge Is Escalating

Revenge: Rebels have destroyed the town of Tarwegha, which they believed to be loyal to Gaddhafi

Back To Bloody Anarchy: Andrew Malone Revisits Libya And Finds A Country Driven By Torture, Mass Murder And Savage Vengeance -- Daily Mail

On a baking hot day this week, the people of Libya’s most prosperous city flocked to the beach and splashed in the cooling waters of the Mediterranean. Such happy scenes were unthinkable in Misrata a year ago, when the world watched in horror as Muammar Gaddafi’s forces encircled and besieged this port city, unleashing what he called the ‘forces of Hell’.

Firing thousands of tank shells, mortars and missiles into residential areas, the Libyan dictator was determined to smash the uprising in Misrata, only three hours from his underground stronghold in Tripoli, the capital.

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My Comment: This cycle of revenge and retribution is going to be with Libya for a very long time (i.e. for decades).