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Egyptian airstrikes on ISIS targets in Libya after 21 Copts killed by terrorists

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B98YHNtIgAAOpoQ.jpg_largeThe Egyptian Air Force has struck Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) positions in Libya, following the execution of 21 Christian Egyptians by the terrorist group. On Sunday, a video emerged, allegedly showing the mass killing carried out by the IS.

 

Libya Islamists abduct 20 Egypt Christians: govt source

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By Afp

article-cc47518f-a08d-4e48-9cd0-1914cc9c28d5-6VJr64I5BHSK2-651_634x357Islamist militants have abducted 20 Egyptian Christians in Libya in recent days, a source close to the government said.

The Ansar al-Sharia militia kidnapped 13 of them Saturday in the coastal city of Sirte and the rest of them there over the past few days, the source said.

Their identity was not immediately clear, except that they were said to be Coptic Christians.

Image from a video made available on October 9, 2014, by the official Islamist media outlet of Benghazi-based Islamist Ansar al-Sharia group, al-Raya Media Foundation, allegedly shows a tank, belonging to the group, in the Libyan city of Benghazi

Thousands of Egyptians work in Libya, mainly in the construction and craft sectors, and they have been targeted as the country has descended into chaos.

In February, the bodies of seven Egyptian Christians who had been shot were found near the second city of Benghazi.

And just last week, an Egyptian Coptic couple were found dead in their home in Sirte, hometown of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, who was overthrown and killed in a NATO-backed uprising three years ago.

Their 13-year-old daughter, who was kidnapped, was later found dead.

Local council chairman Yussef Tebeiqa said the attack might have been motivated by religion as money and jewellery were not taken.

Since Kadhafi’s ouster, Libya’s small Christian minority has expressed fears over Islamic extremism, especially with the rise of armed militias enforcing their own law in the absence of central control.

Sirte, 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of Tripoli, is in the hands of Islamist militias, including Ansar al-Sharia, which the UN last month added to its terror list over links to Al-Qaeda and for running Islamic State group training camps.

– UN talks start Monday –

Libya is awash with weapons and powerful militias, and has rival governments and parliaments.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian recently called on the international community to act to prevent Libya from becoming a “sanctuary for terrorists”.

As well as Sirte, Tripoli and second city Benghazi are largely in the hands of militias, and the internationally recognised government has taken refuge in the remote east.

Benghazi residents said they have been suffering from shortages of electricity, water and fuel since Wednesday.

Last week, the army led its first air raids on Islamist positions in Misrata, an important base for fighters from the Islamist-led Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) coalition of militias.

On Saturday, Libya’s third city was once again hit by aerial attacks, according to military sources, who did not give any casualty figures.

Separately Saturday, Islamist fighters attacked and killed 15 soldiers in the town of Soknah, 180 kilometres southeast of Tripoli, a source close to the government said.

Some of the troops were shot dead and others decapitated by militants who have pledged allegiance to IS, the source added.

UN-brokered talks aimed at ending months of violence and political deadlock in the North African nation are scheduled to begin on Monday.

A UN diplomat said the initiative calls for a ceasefire as well as a withdrawal of all militias and the disarmament of the warring sides.

Libya’s internationally recognised parliament has voted not to attend the negotiations if the rival legislature in Tripoli is party to the talks.

Last month, leaders in the sub-Saharan Sahel region of Africa meeting in Mauritania called on the United Nations to organise an international force “to neutralise the armed groups” in Libya.

Libya’s violence has drawn strong condemnation from both the UN and European Union, and rights group Amnesty International has accused several factions of war crimes.

 

Turkey’s war in Libya

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RTR411E4Turkey had initially opposed NATO’s intervention in the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi’s regime in Libya to prevent France from playing a prominent role. But within a month, Turkey gave NATO the green light and allowed Izmir to become the command center of the NATO operation. Now, Ankara is griping about foreign intervention in Libya. Of course, this attitude is not prompted by the foreign policy principle of maintaining neutrality. On the contrary, Turkey has not abandoned its policies that are dragging it into a war of proxies because of its backing of the Muslim Brotherhood. On one side Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have joined forces to squash the Muslim Brotherhood and on the other side are Turkey and Qatar. Sudan has joined the Qatar-Turkey bloc by playing a role in Qatari weapons shipments to Libyan Dawn, a superstructure of militia forces dominating Tripoli.

 

Report by Fehim Taştekin

Libya calls back ambassador from Turkey

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ANKARA

Libya’s Parliament has called back its ambassador from Turkey.

Quoting an unnamed source, the Dubai-based broadcaster Al Arabiya reported Sept. 2 that the Libyan Foreign Ministry accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of interfering with Libya’s internal affairs after saying the relocation of Libya’s Parliament to Tobruk was “unacceptable.”

Sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry have confirmed the Libyan ambassador is on his way back to the North African country; however, it is not clear whether he was recalled permanently as a diplomatic rebuke or for temporary consultations.

“There is no direct information on such a move that has been conveyed to our side, the Foreign Ministry, or by the Libyan officials,” a Turkish diplomat, speaking under the customary condition of anonymity, told Hürriyet Daily News on Sept. 3.

“There is an obvious disagreement between the previous Parliament and the new Parliament of Libya over the issue, while noting the previous Parliament is against calling the ambassador back to the country,” the source added.

Currently, Turkey has no ambassadors in Syria, Egypt and Israel, as bilateral relations between Ankara and the aforementioned countries have become strained over the past three years. In July, Turkey also removed all of its diplomatic personnel from Libya, citing security risks as the main reason for the move.

Öztürk Yılmaz, Turkey’s consul general in the Iraqi city of Mosul, was taken captive by militants belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on June 10, along with 48 Turkish citizens.

September/03/2014

Libya militias seize Tripoli government offices

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 The Libyan government reported in a statement that it has lost control of state offices in Tripoli to armed militias.

0,,17878583_303,00“We announce that most ministries, institutions and state bodies in the capital Tripoli are out of our control,” the statement, which was released overnight on Sunday, said. The statement also added that armed groups were “preventing government workers from entering and are threatening their superiors.”

Videos were also released on Sunday showing cheering Islamist militiamen, as they dived from an upstairs balcony into the swimming pool, at the US embassy compound in Tripoli that was evacuated in late July.

Parliament resigns

The interim government led by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani announced last Thursday that it had “presented its resignation to the elected parliament”. The decision came just three days after the rival General National Congress (GNC) – which the new parliament officially replaced after elections in June – named the pro-Islamist figure Omar al-Hassi to form a new government.

Islamists, who were not as strong in the new legislature as the former one, subsequently reconvened the GNC in Tripoli last week, following an appeal by groups who refused to recognize the House of Representatives, due to its strong liberal and federalist presence.

Senior officials of the House of Representatives interim government, including Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani, had already relocated to the remote eastern city of Tobruk last month after an alliance of armed militias, led by forces from the western city of Misrata, took control of the capital.

According to a statement from the government, the Libyan parliament is now operating from the east of the country for security reasons and is in contact with officials, “trying to ensure the continuity of services from afar”.

Descent into chaos

Since veteran dictator Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed some three years ago, Libya has slowly descended into a state of anarchy.

With a civil war looming, Western powers and Libya’s neighbors continue to look on, somewhat helpless, amid fears that the North African country will turn into a failed state.

At the end of August, fighters from the Fajr Libya (Libyan Dawn) coalition also captured Tripoli airport after several days of clashes with nationalist militiamen.

ksb/kms (Reuters, AFP)

Ex-general urges Turks, Qataris to leave east Libya, “supporting “terrorism,”

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BENGHAZI, Libya – Reuters

n_68107_1Ex-general Khalifa Haftar speaks during a news conference after surviving an assassination attempt, in Al Marj, east of Benghazi June 4, 2014. REUTERS Photo

A Libyan Ex-general general has called on all Turks and Qataris to leave volatile eastern Libya, accusing the two countries of supporting “terrorism,” his spokesman said June 22.

Retired General Khalifa Haftar has declared war on Islamist militants in eastern Libya, part of growing turmoil in the oil producer where the government is unable to control armed groups which helped oust Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but now defy state authority.

The Tripoli government says Haftar has no authority to act but its orders are routinely ignored in much of the oil-producing country, especially in the east where Islamists, tribes and militias vie for control.
“All citizens of Turkey and Qatar should leave Libya within 48 hours. The deadline started last night,” Haftar’s spokesman, Mohamed El Hejazi, said.

“They should leave the part of Libya from Imsaid [at the Egyptian border] to Sirte [in central Libya] and we are not responsible for these two nationalities on the Libyan land.”

A Turkish embassy official declined to comment. Turkey moved staff of its Benghazi consulate to Tripoli this month. Qatar’s mission could not be immediately reached for comment.

Turkey and Qatar both have supported the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement which has been declared a “terrorist” organization by Egypt and Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia.

There has been speculation among analysts that Haftar has the support of neighboring Egypt and of Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates, which like the West are worried about Islamist militants exploiting the chaos in Libya.

Haftar had last week accused Qatar of supporting armed militias in Libya.

The latest fighting in Libya comes days before a parliamentary election that ordinary citizens hope will ease the chronic political infighting that has paralyzed decision-making since the last vote in the summer of 2012.

June/22/2014

Libya: At least 79 killed during clashes in Libya as rogue general accused of leading coup

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BENGHAZI – Agence France-Presse
n_66610_1A man looks at destroyed warehouses following Friday’s clashes between Libyan irregular forces and Islamist militias in Benghazi, May 17. REUTERS Photo
At least 79 people were killed and 141 others wounded May 17 in fierce clashes in eastern Libya between armed groups loyal to a rogue ex-general and Islamist militias.

Libya’s government accused the “outlaw” retired general, Khalifa Haftar, and his irregular forces of trying to carry out a coup as they fight to crush militants in the restive eastern city of Benghazi.

Haftar, who lead ground forces in the 2011 uprising that toppled Moamer Kadhafi, used warplanes and helicopters Friday to support an offensive in pitched battles.

Giving the latest toll of unrest in Benghazi, health ministry official Abdallah al-Fitouri said those wounded had been taken to five hospitals in the area.

Reacting to his vow to continue fighting until Benghazi is “purged of terrorists,” the army announced a no-fly zone over the port city and suburbs, vowing to shoot down any aircraft that defies the ban.

The government, parliament and army charged that Haftar’s operation was tantamount to a coup against the central authorities.

It is “an action outside state legitimacy and a coup d’état,” said a joint statement read on state television by Nuri Abu Sahmein, the head of the General National Congress.

“All those who took part in this coup bid will be prosecuted,” said Abu Sahmein, flanked by recently appointed Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani and armed forces chief of staff Abdessalam Jadallah al-Salihin.

‘Eradication of terrorism’

Haftar denied the accusations. “Our operation is not a coup and we do not plan to seize power,” he told reporters. “This operation has a precise goal which is the eradication of terrorism” in Libya. Haftar, who sees himself as the chief of the “national armed forces” and has the support of rogue officers and army units as well as warplanes and helicopter gunships, seemed to act on his own accord.

Haftar’s threat to purge Benghazi of the “terrorists” is an affront to the authorities, who have struggled to stomp out lawlessness in the North African nation, which is awash with weapons and effectively ruled by a patchwork of former rebels.

Once seen as heroes, ex-rebels, particularly Islamists, have been blamed for attacks that have killed dozens of members of security forces, judges and foreigners in Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 revolt.

Meanwhile, a tentative calm was shattered when a war plane bombed an Islamist position in the northwest of the city, an ex-rebel said.

“We fired at the plane which missed its target,” said the source, adding that there were no casualties.

It was not immediately clear who carried out the raid, which came after Haftar spokesman Colonel Mohammad Hijazi advised residents in western and southern districts of Benghazi to evacuate their homes.

Earlier this year, Haftar caused a stir when he announced an “initiative” aimed at suspending the interim government and parliament.

That sparked concern on social media that a coup might be in the offing, but the government was quick to quash them and insist it was in control.

The army says Haftar is backed by tribes, army defectors and ex-rebels who are opposed to the central government.

The army’s high command declared all of Benghazi and its suburbs a “no-fly zone until further notice,” state-run LANA news agency said.

“All military planes flying over the city will be shot down by army units… and units of the revolutionaries (ex-rebels),” LANA added.

It is not clear if the fledgling army, which is still trying to bolster its capacity, has the means to carry out that threat. Friday’s clashes wound down after Haftar’s forces pulled out of Benghazi.

The violence came weeks after the government acknowledged for the first time the existence of “terrorist groups” in Libya and said it was mobilising against them. And it comes two weeks after extremist gunmen, including from Ansar Sharia, stormed police headquarters in Benghazi, triggering fighting that killed nine soldiers.

Haftar’s forces pounded former rebel groups on May 16, focusing in particular on Ansar Sharia, an organisation designated by the United States as a terrorist group.

The offensive also comes at a time of high political tensions in Libya where Islamists and liberals are in a tug-of-war, particularly after the disputed election this month of Islamist-backed Thani.

Haftar defected from Kadhafi’s forces in the late 1980s and spent nearly 20 years in the United States before returning home to join the uprising. He has been accused of being in the pay of the Americans.

May/18/2014

Jordan’s ambassador to Libya is kidnapped in Tripoli

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Jordan’s ambassador to Libya was kidnapped in central Tripoli on Tuesday, the foreign ministries of both nation’s said, CNN reported.

ambassadorAmbassador Fawaz al-Aytan was abducted along with his security detail, according to Jordan’s foreign ministry. His driver was injured.

A spokesman for the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ambassador’s convoy was ambushed by masked gunmen traveling in two vehicles and al-Aytan was whisked away.

Officials have frequently been targeted and intimidated by the different militia groups in the fractured nation.

On Sunday, Libya’s newly appointed Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni stepped down after an attack on him and his family.

A resident in the neighborhood told CNN that al-Thinni was with his family when his convoy came under attack by a militia close to the area where he lives in Tripoli. After they escaped the attack and entered the neighborhood close to Tripoli’s airport road, heavy gunfire erupted in the area.

Al-Thinni said he and members of the cabinet will continue their work as a caretaker government until a new prime minister is chosen by the General National Congress, the country’s interim parliament.

There have been increased concerns about the worsening security situation in Libya and the country’s rocky transition to democracy after the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Source: Panorama.am

Russian Senator: Syria Is U.S.’s Next Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya

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BY: Interfax

September 3, 2012

U.S. strike on Syria will deal blow to intl security – Russian senator

MOSCOW: A missile strike against Syria without the UN Security Council’s go-ahead would be tantamount to a declaration of war against Damascus and a blow to international security and the world order, said chairman of the Federation Council’s Defense and Security Committee Viktor Ozerov.

“If we recognize the supremacy of international law and the sovereignty of UN member-states, the start of a U.S. military action against Syria bypassing the UN Security Council could only mean one thing: another American aggression against an Arab state torn apart by civil war,” Ozerov told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.

It would also deal a blow against the world order, on international law and on the nonproliferation principles which Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama will trample underfoot if he launches a military action, Ozerov also said.

“The aftermath of U.S. aggressive operations are still fresh in our memory: Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya…The list could be extended. No arguments can be accepted here in defense of democracy or human rights. What is really happening is that Washington cannot agree that countries exist that do not want to dance to its tune or play by its rules,” the Russian senator said.

“The political-diplomatic plan for settling the Syrian crisis remains on the negotiating table due to efforts being made by Russia, China and sober-minded Western politicians and lawmakers. How long will it remain there? I pin much hope on parliamentary diplomacy, which will play a certain if not decisive role in easing tensions surrounding Syria,” Ozerov said.

The upcoming meeting in Washington between Russian lawmakers and American congressmen on the initiative of both houses of the Russian parliament will hopefully become one more argument in favor of a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Syria, he said.