Archive for the ‘Libya’ Category

90 Bodies Found at Site of US Air Strike in Libya – Newsweek

Libyan forces have found some 90 bodies of slain militants at the sites of recent U.S. air strikes near the former Islamic State stronghold of Sirte, they said in a statement on Thursday.

The forces posted pictures of desert hideouts covered with sand and grass and said the sites were being used for training. Shells, suicide belts and booby traps had been recovered there, the statement added.

They also said they had arrested two suspected militants and killed four who refused to surrender. The forces are led by brigades from the city of Misrata and ousted Islamic State from Sirte in a near seven-month campaign that ended in December.

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Members of the forces loyal to Libya's U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) are seen in the coastal city of Sirte, east of the capital Tripoli, during their military operation to clear ISIS from the city, on October 14. The forces rescued five foreign hostages from the city, according to the U.S. envoy to the country. Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty

U.S. officials have said more than 80 militants, some plotting attacks in Europe, had been killed a week ago when B-2 bombers dropped about 100 precision guided munitions on camps about 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Sirte.

They said the strikes targeted militants who had fled from Sirte. The Misrata-led forces said most of those found at the sites of the strikes were not among those who had fled from Sirte.

The forces' statement gave no details of the militants' nationalities or where they were thought to have been previously.

Pictures posted alongside the statement showed desert shelters covered with canvas or plastic sheeting and branches, and a hideout dug into the sand. There were also pictures of a number of several dead bodies, burnt out vehicles, weapons and satellite phones.

The statement said some 70 bodies had been found in one location and 20 bodies at another spot. It was not clear how far apart the two sites were.

Islamic State's defeat in Sirte left the group without any territory it controlled in Libya, though it has a presence in other parts of the country.

Libyan and Western security officials have long warned that some fighters escaped from Sirte before the battle or during its early stages. Islamic State leaders have said they intend to regroup from outside Sirte.

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90 Bodies Found at Site of US Air Strike in Libya - Newsweek

Brazzaville summit on Libya – Libya Herald


RFI
Brazzaville summit on Libya
Libya Herald
A summit on Libya is to take place tomorrow, Friday, in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, with a number of African heads of state expected to attend. UN special envoy Martin Kobler flew in yesterday and has been holding talks ahead of the meeting with ...
Congo to host mini AU summit on Libyan crisisRFI

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Brazzaville summit on Libya - Libya Herald

Londoners invited to invest in Libya – City A.M.

Libyan businessmen and governmental officials are in London today seeking investment in the countrys key industries.

The Libya Reconstruction and Investment Forum is being held at Lancaster House, a government-owned mansion in St Jamess operated by the Foreign Office.

Oil, healthcare and infrastructure will be among the sectors where Libyans will be looking for foreign investment today at the meeting hosted by Middle East Association and Developing Markets Associates

British Ambassador in Libya, Peter Millett said: we are very pleased to have helped with organising this forum, which is an important step towards reinvigorating the Libyan economy.

Investment in electricity, water, and healthcare is critical to alleviating the suffering of the Libyan people. After five years of violence and political divisions, the Libyan people deserve better.

Mustafa Sanallah, chairman of Libyas state-run oil firm, told delegates at Chatham House this week that the country would be opening up its oil reserves to foreign investment following a five-year moratorium.

Sanallah is hopeful that agreements with militias to allow oil to leave via the countrys major oil ports will give Libya a chance to boost its output to the global market, roughly 40 per cent of which is currently lost to smuggling.

While the UN-backed Government of National Accord, based in the west of the country has the sole right to export Libyas oil under international law, major oil ports and number of oil fields in the east of Libya are still controlled by the rival Tobruk-based government.

Libyas oil output is currently at a 3-year high and is expected to be pumping 1.25m barrels a day by the end of 2017. The country had been producing 1.6m barrels a day prior to the toppling of Moammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Chinese and South Korean firms have already expressed interest in investing billions of dollars into crucial oil infrastructure, according to Sanallah, who will be meeting some of these companies in London today.

Despite having concerns that a "legitimate government with a mandate from the people to come to power", Sanallah is confident that with further investment we can use oil to unify the country.

We cannot stand back and do nothing while the state disintegrates Sanallah told delegates at Chatham House this week. The engagement of the firms represented at Lancaster House today may prove crucial in achieving his vision.

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Londoners invited to invest in Libya - City A.M.

EU leaders urged to back migrant measures for Libya – Fox News

In this Friday Jan. 13, 2017 photo, Idris 3, from Mali, center, sleeps next to his mother Aicha Keita, right, on the deck of the Golfo Azzurro vessel after being rescued from the Mediterranean sea, about 20 miles north of Ra's Tajura, Libya. Spain's maritime rescue service says the bodies of seven African migrants have been found dead along the Strait of Gibraltar since Friday. (AP Photo/Olmo Calvo) (The Associated Press)

BRUSSELS The European Commission is urging European leaders to endorse sweeping measures to help stop tens of thousands of desperate people from leaving Libya in search of better lives in Europe.

The commission said in documents published Tuesday that the leaders should "deploy the full range of EU missions and projects" to help Libyans manage their borders and protect migrants.

Conflict-torn Libya is a main departure point for African migrants trying to reach Europe via Italy. More than 181,000 people attempted the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing last year. About 4,500 died or disappeared.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement that "too many people are still dying in the Mediterranean."

He said: "First and foremost, stability in Libya and the region as a whole is required."

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EU leaders urged to back migrant measures for Libya - Fox News

Emirati Man Held on Spying Charges in Libya Found Dead – Benson County Farmers Press

Emirati Man Held on Spying Charges in Libya Found Dead
Benson County Farmers Press
A Libyan spokesman says an Emirati national detained since 2015 on spying charges has been found dead after militiamen stormed the detention center where he was being held and killed him. Sadik al-Sour of the public prosecution office told The ...

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Emirati Man Held on Spying Charges in Libya Found Dead - Benson County Farmers Press