March 4, 2016

NATO's Destruction of Libya: Act II

The well-known forces who created ISIS are now using the terrorist group's presence in Libya as a political and moral justification for yet another illegal invasion of the country.

An excerpt from, "Troops Trickle in as West Prepares for Libya War" by Jason Ditz, AntiWar.com, March 3, 2016:
Last week, major French newspaper Le Monde reported that the French government is engaged in a “secret war” in Libya, and has deployed special forces already. The Pentagon has also talked about its own presence in Libya, and Britain is understood to have some special forces there as well.

The numbers keep growing, and other assets for a Western war in Libya, which officials have been publicly championing for months, are being moved into place. It’s only a matter of time until the “secret war” becomes a public one, but how long?
An excerpt from, "Why Libya Matters" by Theodoros Benakis, New Europe, March 4, 2016:
Geographically, Libya is at the crossroads between Africa, Europe and the Middle East. This means jihadist recruits from Africa and Maghreb who don’t make it to the Middle East can stay and fight in Libya.

What is more, Libya is the most important African country as regards energy supplies, especially for Europe. While Islamic State does not yet have the capability to generate profits from the reserves it controls (in the Sirte basin), the group could become a serious threat to production in the coming months. It is expanding toward the oil port of Sidra and the refinery Ras Lanuf in the east and towards the oil production facilities in the south.

The disruption of oil production in Libya would be a huge blow to Europe’s energy needs.

However, Libya also lies along the ancient trade routes and it is important for smuggling and trafficking. In addition, its geographical position could facilitate Islamic State’s operations in Egypt, West Africa and the southern region which includes Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

In brief, Libya could become the perfect storm for further expansion in military operations as well as other operations like ‘taxation’, kidnappings, smuggling of drugs and cigarettes and human trafficking.

Another factor – prestige – is just as important. For instance, a rapid and successful expansion in Libya will reinforce the image of Islamic State and will encourage recruitments in Muslim communities and defections from rival groups.
An excerpt from, "Muslim Brotherhood and Intrigues of America, Qatar and Turkey against Egypt and Syria: Kosovo to ISIS" by Boutros Hussein, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker, Modern Tokyo Times, March 2, 2016:
At the same time, America, Qatar and Turkey are behind another new terrorist and sectarian force being trained and armed against Syria. This is despite the fact that all minorities will face systematic persecution if an Islamist movement overthrows the current government of Syria.

In other words, Ankara, Doha and Washington all seek to usurp the Middle East and North Africa – just like they did in the Balkans – in order to shape the region based on their geopolitical ambitions. Therefore, in order to achieve this, these three nations all favor the Muslim Brotherhood.

Indigenous Islam, just like Orthodox Christianity in Northern Cyprus and Kosovo, means little to America, Qatar and Turkey when it comes to geopolitical concerns. This reality means that these three nations seek to utilize political Islam based on the deeds and ambitions of the Muslim Brotherhood throughout parts of North Africa and the Levant.

Egypt and Syria therefore are on the frontline in preserving independence when it comes to the Middle East. Also, with ISIS and links with Qatar and Turkey being fully known, then the fear in Egypt is that outside nations may manipulate Takfiri forces just like the same nations – and others – have done against Syria.
An excerpt from, "A new Western military intervention in Libya is edging ever closer" by Fanny Carrier, Your Middle East, March 4, 2016:
Planning is at an advanced stage, special forces are already on the ground and air power assets are being moved within range.

But a long-anticipated move against offshoots of the Islamic State group remains on hold as long as Libya has not formed a unified government with the authority to ask for help to stem the extremist group's growth.

The legitimacy of any intervention is a delicate issue and key for Italy, which has agreed to lead a UN-mandated international stabilisation force into its troubled former colony provided it also has credible cover from a national authority.

Hence the hasty reaction from Italian officials when Brigadier General Donald Bolduc, the commander of US special-operations forces in Africa, let slip this week that a "coalition coordination centre" was already up and running in Rome with a view to eliminating the IS threat in Libya.