Libya Closer To Failed-State Status, Ushering In Possible ISIS, Jihadist Haven
In his speech Wednesday night, President Obama made a commitment to not only fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria but also remain vigilant as new threats emerge in the Middle East and North Africa. One of those threats may be materializing in Libya, a North African country where a failing government and the advance of radical militias could turn some parts of it into a safe haven and breeding ground for ISIS or other militant entities.
Obama recognized the need for the U.S. to pay more attention to the situation in Libya in a recent interview with the New York Times.
"I think we [and] our European partners underestimated the need to come in full force if youre going to do this. Then its the day after Ghadafi is gone, when everybody is feeling good and everybody is holding up posters saying, Thank you, America,'" he said. "At that moment, there has to be a much more aggressive effort to rebuild societies that didnt have any civic traditions."
The U.S. led a coalition of Western and Arab nations that helped oust Libyan dictator Moammar Ghadafi with a campaign of airstrikes in 2011. Libya has since fallen prey to growing unrest and disorder. But the U.S. has remained mostly silent on the infighting in the country despite the administration acknowledging that the country needs stabilization.
On Thursday Reuters reported that Islamist militants in Benghazi kidnapped up to 25 soldiers and killed five others when fighters with the Majlis al-Shoura group attacked an army checkpoint, on Tuesday.
The news came after intense fighting between the Libyan military and Islamist militias at Benghazis airport. The militants have for weeks been trying to seize the airport after fighters aligned with the Misrata militia seized the airport in Tripoli. Those militants include people who have pledged allegiance to Ansar al-Sharia, which the U.S. designated as a terrorist organization after it was implicated in the attack on its diplomatic compound in Benghazi, which killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya among other Americans. Thursday marked the anniversary of the attack.
Ansar al-Sharia is now thought to have almost total control of Benghazi, though it has faced intense battles with rebels fighting for renegade Gen. Khalifa Hifter, whose goal is to rid the country of Islamic extremists. The battle between Hifters forces, the military and Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi is just an aspect of the infighting currently taking place in the country.
The fighting taking place across the country has pushed more than 100,000 Libyans from their homes and more than 150,000 foreign workers out of the country, the Associated Press reported.
The fighting has also pushed members of parliament out of Tripoli. Libya's new parliament held its first formal session away from the clashes. The parliament, which was elected June 25, traveled to Tobruk, which has been largely quiet, for the session. Libyan leaders announced Thursday that they hope to hold a referendum on a new constitution in December.
Leaders from around the world, including the U.S., expressed their support for the new parliament.
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Libya Closer To Failed-State Status, Ushering In Possible ISIS, Jihadist Haven