Eastern commander Haftar may be planning to attack Tripoli

(May 29(Khalifa Haftar who heads forces of the eastern-based House of Representatives (HoR) government the Libyan National Army (LNA) has called on militia loyal to him in the west to prepare to move on Tripoli and free it from Islamist militias who oppose him.

Haftar is opposed to the rival UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli. Recent clashes in Tripoli have seen militias opposed to the GNA and loyal to the earlier Salvation Government have seen them retreat from Tripoli at least for now ostensibly becausethey wanted to avoid conflict. A more plausible explanation is that they were being defeated. The Libyan Express claims:

"Haftar said he and his forces in cooperation with his loyalists in the western region are going to defend Tripoli against the current chaos and killings created by what he said “Islam Political Parties” backed by many foreign countries including Qatar. “I call for the state of emergency and mobilisation of all troops to engage in a conflict that will end the presence of the militias that are endangering the lives of Libyans"”He urged coordination with the Presidential Council (PC) of the GNA.

The Libya Observer also reports on Haftar's sudden seeming support for the GNA. He called Tripoli armed brigades that he had formerly called his foes as "patriots" as they defended the PC and GNA. Haftar has always rejected the GNA. He applauds the mission of the militia to protect Tripoli from "political Islam groups" his foes. In a letter to his loyal brigades mostly from Zintan and Wirshiffana to "help the national forces which are securing the capital". Odd that he calls them national forces as if he recognized the GNA. Haftar's moves are quite transparent. He is wooing Tripoli militia in order to have them on his side as his forces and allies enter Tripoli. While the Observer claims that all Tripoli brigades have come out against Haftar and rejected his Operation Dignity the situation may be changing. The Islamists that left Tripoli were the most opposed to Haftar.

Egyptian fighter jets continued strikes on the city of Derna for the second time in three days apparently hitting civilians locations in a residential area. The engineers residential compound of the electricity company were hit as the Derna steam power plant and the distillation station. There was considerable material damage but apparently no one was killed. Derna had been attacked two days earlier by Egyptian planes. Egypt claimed that it attacked six sites where terrorists who launched the attack on a bus killing 28 Coptic Christians in Egypt had been trained. As I argue in a recent article in the Digital Journal it is quite unlikely that the perpetrators trained in Derna. The Islamic State has now claimed responsibility and they were driven out Derna ages ago. More likely Egypt simply made up its narrative to help out Haftar who is laying siege to the city. The recent attacks on two further sites in Libya in Hun and Al Jufra held by forces associated with the GNA further support the view that Egypt is simply helping Haftar who air force is limited.

Haftar may not yet try to occupy Tripoli. It remains to be seen whether his western allies are even willing to answer his call. However, it does look more and more as if there is going to be a military solution to the country's division, in which Haftar is able to convince some who now support the GNA and oppose him to decide to cooperate with him in a move that would see any anti-Haftar Islamists and others within the GNA who oppose him to be sidelined, if not eliminated. The GNA already appears to be yielding ground to Haftar. Just recently its forces abandoned Timnahent air base in the south headquarters of the Third Force and allowed Haftar forces to take it over without a fight. The GNA is growing weaker and weaker and seems to be helping Haftar. Something strange is going on.

14 bodies found in Benghazi all shot in the head execution style

A doctor in the Benghazi Medical Centre reported that the hospital had received the bodies of 14 people who had been killed execution-style. Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) called the killings a war crime.

The unidentified bodies were found Thursday and brought to the hospital by the Red Crescent. An anonymous doctor said that the bodies all bore shots to the head. Kobler in a tweet said he was "utterly shocked and dismayed by the summary execution of a number of people in Benghazi." He called for an investigation of the murders and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

As France24 reports:Benghazi has seen bloody battles for more than two years between forces loyal to the internationally-recognised parliament and armed groups including the jihadist Islamic State group. Forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar have regained several districts of Benghazi in recent months but have yet to retake the whole city.No details at all on Haftar's Operation Dignity which started in May of 2014 with attacks against two Islamist bases in Benghazi but was followed up by his allies burning the parliament in Tripoli.

While the House of Representatives (HoR) and the government of Abdullah al_Thinni were at one time internationally-recognized, at present, the Al-Thinni government and HoR are not internationally recognized. However by the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA), the HoR is required to vote confidence in the GNA and amend the constitutional declaration. The UN and most nations recognize the UN-backed GNA as the sole legitimate Libyan government. Perhaps, since French special forces are obviously dealing with Haftar and the HoR, France24 considers the HoR "internationally recognized". The HoR mandate ran out last October and was illegally extended. Although the HoR was elected it was with a turnout of about 18 percent or less. The election was ruled unconstitutional by the Libyan Constitutional Court back in November 2014, but no one but the Salvation Government, the Tripoli-based rival to the HoR, paid much attention. Since the GNA moved to Tripoli the Salvation Government associated with the former General National Congress(GNC) has ceased to exist, at least as having any power.

The 14 bodies were found in an area controlled by Haftar's forces, raising concerns that his forces have been responsible. While Kobler demands an investigation it is unlikely to happen. Back in early June, 12 prisoners who were ordered released from a jail in Tripoli were found murdered. Amnesty International and some others claim that the twelve were killed before they left the jail. There was to be an immediate investigation. The issue has just dropped off the media radar. The prisoners were former Gadaffi troops. No one has yet been charged.

Haftar's forces have been previously condemned by the UN for attacking civilian targets in the city of Derna. There were threats of prosecutions for war crimes. Nothing has happened. The city is now run by the Derna Shura Council or Jihadists whom Haftar considers as terrorists, even though they were instrumental in driving the Islamic State from Derna. Haftar's air force attacked them even when IS had left, consequently hitting a number of civilian targets.

The jihadist forces in Benghazi have also been accused of war crimes in attacking medical facilities and using civilians as shields. Both pro-Haftar and anti-Haftar forces appear to have committed war crimes but so far neither international authorities nor authorities from the GNA or rival HoR government have brought anyone to face justice for any war crimes.

Libyan National Army's bombing of Libyan city of Derna condemned by many

Some time ago the Libya city of Derna and adjacent areas were cleared of all Islamic State fighters. This was mostly the result of actions by the fighters of the Shura Council of Derna Jihadists.

The Libyan National Army (LNA) under commander in chief General Khalifa Haftar has also claimed credit for clearing the Islamic State out of the surrounding areas but it is not clear how much they helped. Even after the Islamic State had retreated Haftar's forces continued airstrikes against Derna. Haftar considers the Shura Council to be allied with Al Qaeda even though they deny any such connection. He has carried on the attacks since he consider the Shura Council to be radical Islamists and his enemy. He says the attacks are part of what he calls his Operation Volcano, part of Operation Dignity. Operation DIgnity was begun back on May 16, 2014, with attacks on Islamist militia bases in Benghazi but then involved the burning of the Libyan parliament as shown on the appended video.

Haftar considers any Islamists opposed to him as radical Islamists to be defeated, including many of the militia loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). Haftar rejects the GNA and supports the rival Tobruk-based House of Representatives. (HoR). The HoR is required to vote confidence in the GNA according to the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA). It would then become the legislature of the GNA. However numerous meetings called to hold a vote have either been disrupted or failed to have a quorum. A meeting just last Monday lacked a quorum.

The attacks on Derna by Haftar are happening at the same time as he is supposed to be marching to liberate Sirte, as he announced some three weeks ago. However, the only forces fighting Sirte are those of the GNA in the west, mostly militia from Misrata, and in the east forces of the Petroleum Facilities Guard headed by Ibrahim Jodhran, an opponent of Haftar and supporter of the GNA government. The Islamic State territory is now just a few square kilometers in the city of Sirte. Until there were a number of civilian casualties both the GNA and Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary General(SRSG) kept quiet but now Kobler has spoken out condemning the civilian casualties. In a tweet he says: Deeply saddened to hear of civilian casualties from airstrikes #Derna, 2 women & 2 child died. Densely populated areas must not be targetedNote that he fails to condemn the airstrikes themselves. Others go much further.

Military veteran and army officers in Derna have condemned what they describe as Dignity Operation airstrikes on the city that left a number of civilians dead. Colonel Yahya Al-Osta said on Sunday that the airstrikes that killed civilians, including children were carried out by armed militias and mercenaries who have no links to the army. The planes no doubt are from the air force which is headed by an ally of Haftar. Al-Osta called Haftar a criminal and said that his militia groups are a far cry from military values and principles when they start targeting civilians and populated areas, He said: "We want police and army that protect civilians, not attacking them". Graphic photos of some of those killed can be found if you search for the hashtag #Derna on twitter.

Among those killed were a father and his son on his way to another town to cash out their salaries. In another strike a woman and her two children were killed. A tweet shows the location with no military target. Another tweet says: A kids play area in the city #Derna was attacked from LNA ..At least a kid is killed through these air attack. Another tweet reports: "Former eastern defence zone commander, Suleiman Mahmoud appeals to pilots under Hefter's command to refuse orders targeting Derna civilians." Some strikes are aimed at certain companies as shown in the damage to a Turkish company's buildings. Fortunately, much machinery is OK.