The rebranding of CIA-linked General Khalifa Haftar in Libya

The internationally recognized Libyan government of prime minister Abdullah al Thinni has now reconciled with CIA-linked former general Khalifa Haftar.

With the blessing of the government Haftar has been carrying out a number of bombings in Tripoli, Benghazi, and elsewhere. Now the House of Representatives(HoR) in Tobruk according to a report in the Libya Herald is about to appoint Haftar as Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan army. Within the next few days a formal decision will be announced. Even within the anti-Islamist dominated HoR however there is opposition with 30 members expressing reservations about Haftar's recent reinstatement into the Libyan army and even questioning the legality of his Operation Dignity attacks against extremists in the east of Libya. The Libya Herald reports: A group of 30 members of the Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) have signed a petition saying that they do not support the efforts to fight terrorism in eastern Libya by retired General Khalifa Hafter’s Operation Dignity . This shows that opposition to Haftar exists not only within the more-Islamist oriented government in Tripoli but also within the pro-Haftar government as well.

Prime Minister Al-Thinni with John Kerry

 The prime minister of the Tobruk government Abdullah al-Thinni was not always favorable towards Haftar. He was defense minister during Haftar's first coup attempt on Feb. 14 this year. Haftar went on TV and announced he had suspended the Gneral National Congress(GNC), the government and the Constitutional Declaration. Al-Thinni was hardly supportive then: Libyan Defence Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni, responding to the declaration, claimed that Haftar's claim to forces loyal to him being in Tripoli was a lie, and also alleged that Haftar had no legitimacy. Thinni also reiterated that there was a warrant out for Haftar's arrest on the grounds of plotting a coup d'état.[1] 

 Al-Thinni was prime minister when Haftar started Operation Dignity on May 16 with attacks on Islamist bases in Benghazi but then two days later moved to Tripoli with the burning and sacking of the parliament. After the start of Operation Dignity, al-Thinni declared Haftar's operation illegal:At a government press conference held as a response to the Benghazi assault, acting Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni condemned the move by Haftar as illegal and claimed that the move undermined attempts to confront terrorism. At the time, Major General Al-Obaidi also condemned Haftar's operation and said that his militia were intruders into Benghazi and should be resisted by revolutionaries.

 Now Al-Thinni presides over the Tobruk government that has welcomed Haftar back into the fold and given him the green light to "liberate" Benghazi and Tripoli. While he has retaken some parts of Benghazi at considerable cost he has achieved nothing on the ground in Tripoli except some damage to an airport and homes.

 The choice of Haftar to command the Libyan army was suggested in an August article in Washington Institute publication by Barak Barfi a research fellow at the New America Foundation where he specializes in Arab and Islamist affairs:"Washington and its partners should persuade the new Libyan government to appoint Haftar as chief of staff. Respected by his troops, he has the military skills and combat experience necessary to create a modern army. But most important, he is the sole Libyan willing to take on the Islamist militias that are preventing the establishment of a modern state" 

 The UN is trying its best to bring together the parties in conflict. However, the Tobruk government continues to support Haftar and his bombing in spite of UN condemnation and requests that they stop so that dialogue can take place. While the Libyan Supreme Court ruled back on November 6 that the June elections were unconstitutional and the Tobruk government should be dissolved, the international community shows no sign of making any move to question the legitimacy of the Al-Thinni government or take any significant actions to stop Haftar's attacks. 

A recent meeting in Khartoum even re-affirmed the legitimacy of the al-Thinni government without even mentioning the Libyan Court decision. Since the UN said it was studying the decision more than a month ago now, it has not mentioned the decision either. The Tobruk government rejected the decision out of hand noting that the court was surrounded by armed forces and guards. The court no doubt needed protection just as parliament needed it earlier when it could have been saved by burning and ransacking by the Zintan brigades, allies of Haftar. Al-Thinni was quite pleased however when the same court rejected the Islamist choice for prime minister Ahmed-Maiteeq. Maiteeq accepted that ruling which left Al-Thinni as prime minister!

Obama may be planning to intervene in Libya with others

In Obama's recent announcement of the expansion of attacks against the Islamic State in Iraq and also into Syria, he also spoke of the need for vigilance in northern Africa.

Obama may also be turning his sights on a possible intervention in Libya which is more and more described in the media as a failed state. Ever since the CIA-linked General Khalifa Haftar began his Operation Dignity against Islamist militias and had his allies the Zintan Brigades attack and burn parliament while kidnapping some Islamist lawmakers and officials, there have been counter-attacks by umbrella groups of mostly Islamist militias who now control Tripoli and also most of Benghazi.
Obama could argue that the success of Islamist militias could lead to a safe haven for radical Islamist groups. Some radical groups are already associated with Islamist militia umbrella groups, especially in Benghazi, including Ansar al Sharia, the group accused of the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi. The US along with allies could intervene to support the government in Tobruk and indirectly Haftar.
 France is already pushing for intervention. There has already been intervention in the form of several night attacks by mystery planes directed against Islamist targets in Tripoli. They failed to stop the ultimate takeover of the city by the militias. The rebels accused the UAE and Egypt of being behind the attacks. Haftar himself called the attacks a joint project with the international community. Later, the US also accused the UAE and Egypt of being behind the attacks and claimed to have known nothing about the attacks before they happened. This seems quite unlikely. More likely, the US might have even approved even if tacitly. Later still, the US withdrew its accusations against the UAE and Egypt suggesting that the US cannot decide what story it should tell.
 The government elected in June has been meeting in the far eastern city of Tobruk and is loosely allied with Haftar. The interim government had scheduled a meeting of the group in Benghazi where parliament had been moved but the security situation prevented it. In a recent interview, Obama suggested for Libya the sort of nation building and long term commitment which was part of the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan neither of which have been very successful so far but cost the US huge sums and many casualties.
 Obama said: "I think we [and] our European partners underestimated the need to come in full force if you’re going to do this. Then it’s the day after Ghadafi is gone, when everybody is feeling good and everybody is holding up posters saying, ‘Thank you, America. At that moment, there has to be a much more aggressive effort to rebuild societies that didn’t have any civic traditions." In neighboring Egypt, the president el-Sisi is waging an all-out battle against any Islamists who oppose his government especially the Muslim Brotherhood which until it was overthrown ran the first elected government. El-Sisi designates these Islamists as terrorists. Obama could very well decide to describe the Islamist militias in Libya as terrorists and intervene as part of his global war on terror.
Obama said: "As Americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead from Europe to Asia—from the far reaches of Africa to war-torn capitals of the Middle East—we stand for justice, for dignity, Abroad, American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the will to mobilize the world against terrorists.” In his recent speech Obama emphasized that the greatest threats at present come from the Middle East and North Africa where he claims radical groups are exploiting grievances for their own game. General Haftar could very well play a key role in helping Obama rebuild Libya in any attempt to create a Libya more to the liking of the west and western corporations eager to further the exploitation of Libya's vast oil resources.
 One suggestion by Barak Barfi is as follows:"Washington and its partners should persuade the new Libyan government to appoint Haftar as chief of staff. Respected by his troops, he has the military skills and combat experience necessary to create a modern army. But most important, he is the sole Libyan willing to take on the Islamist militias that are preventing the establishment of a modern state" The Tobruk-based government has dismissed 7 ambassadors loyal to the GNC-formed government in Tripoli.