UN-brokered Libyan unity government asks training aid from NATO

NATO claims to have received a new detailed request from the UN-brokered Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) to train and develop its military.

The GNA faces a threat from an attempted coup led by Khalifa al-Ghwell Prime Minister of the former Salvation Government that had more or less disintegrated after the GNA moved to Tripoli. Members of the former General National Congress associated with the Salvation Government had met, accepted the Libyan Political Agreement and dissolved the GNC and then met as the State High Council of the GNA. Many of the Libyan Presidential Guard that were supposed to protect the GNA defected to join al-Ghwell. The GNA depends upon militia for protection. The militia have their own agendas and often have turf and other battles among themselves. Some seem little more than criminal gangs out to fleece the public and engaging in kidnappings for ransom.

PM Fayez Serraj had made a request last year in May for help from NATO but it was seen as too broad. Security arrangements have been one among many failures of the GNA government. The GNA has had plans for unified Libyan security forces since coming to Tripoli in March. It appears to have made little or no progress. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference: "We have said for some time that we are ready to help Libya, but any assistance has to be based on a request from the Libyan government. This is the request we received yesterday. Training local forces is one of the best weapons in the fight against terrorism and building stability." The GNA request asks NATO to develop a defense ministry with a chief of defense and intelligence gathering capacities. Stoltenberg stressed the importance of having a ministry of defence, a commander and chief of staff and claimed that such a framework was necessary to develop the armed forces and create stability. Stoltenberg said that NATO could work within or outside Libya. The EU already is training the Libyan coastguard in Italy and in international waters off the Libyan coast. There is no discussion of how eastern commander Khalifa Haftar would fit into this plan. At the present it would seem he has no place at all.

Serraj invited NATO forces to play a stronger role in preventing smuggling but military assistance on the ground in Libya was off the ground. Apparently this does not include training, unless Serraj insists the training take place outside of Libya. NATO has already been involved in counter-terror and anti-smuggling operations and is also involved with the EU in rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean. NATO was created in 1949 for collective security. Its present headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium. There are 28 member states.

There may be negative reaction to NATO involvement in establishing an armed force for the GNA. Many Libyans already see the GNA as a foreign imposition. An attempt by NATO to create an effective army for the GNA will be seen by Field Marshall Haftar as a threat to his own power.

GNA foreign minister meets with top NATO officials in Brussels

Mohamed Siala, foreign minister in the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), met today in Brussels with the head of NATO, and the EU policy chief to discuss how each organization could help improve security in Libya and on its borders.

NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said he was encouraged by the progress being achieved by the GNA. He focused on how NATO could help in terms of defense and security. At the 2014 NATO summit in Wales NATO said it would help Libya build its defense and security capacity if it were asked by the GNA to do so and was in harmony with the EU and UN. No details of the discussions have been released although a statement noted that the meeting followed a recent conversation between Stoltenberg and the PM of the GNA, Faiez Serraj. as well as contacts between NATO and other GNA officials.

The meeting of Siala with Federika Mogherini, EU policy chief, concentrated on discussion of security on Libya's southern borders. Human trafficking is one concern but there is also arms smuggling through the borders as well as terrorists entering Libya from other countries, particularly some of the Sahel G5. One topic was how to prevent asylum seekers dying in the Sahara desert. The Sahel G5 are Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Mogherini said: “There is a shared concern with the Sahel over security and the management of borders with Libya. For us, supporting cooperation with border countries to the south of Libya – such as Chad, which has experiences to share – is fundamental.”

The naval operation Sophia was also discussed. The UN Security Council authorized the expansion of the operation to allow vessels to counter human trafficking and operate within Libyan waters. It will include stop and search operations. There were no details released about what was discussed on Sophia. The two were also to discuss training of the proposed presidential guard. The GNA is in dire need of armed forces of its own rather than having to rely on militia for security. Often the GNA is at the mercy of the militia. Power distribution in Tripoli is determined by different militias who insist power continue to be provided to areas they control. Recently 12 former Gadaffi soldiers were murdered on their release from jail. Militia may have been responsible for the killing.

Mr. Sala is acting as Minister of Foreign Affairs even though the GNA has yet to receive a vote of confidence from the House of Representatives(HoR) as required by the Libya Political Agreement (LPA). Another meeting is scheduled on Monday but earlier meetings have either lacked a quorum or in two cases been disrupted. A meeting scheduled for last Monday lacked a quorum. In spite of Stoltenberg's praise of the GNA's progress Libyans in Tripoli and elsewhere are facing crippling power shortages, lack of cash, and recently in Tripoli a lack of water.

NATO to keep about 12,000 troops in Afghanistan through next year

NATO has decided to maintain a steady level of about 12,000 troops in Afghanistan during 2016. It also launched a campaign to fund 350,000 Afghan forces it hopes will be able eventually to secure Afghanistan against the Taliban.

Even 14 years after the United States first sent troops to Afghanistan, many NATO members still doubt the ability of the Afghan armed forces to defend against the Taliban. Just recently, the Taliban took over the city of Kunduz in the north. The U.S. bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital using an AC-130 gunship, killing 30 people. In spite of serious questions about the military report on the incident, neither the U.S. nor the Afghans have given approval for an independent investigation. The security situation appears to be getting worse rather than better with the U.S. embassy warning U.S. citizens that there may be an attack in the capital, Kabul, in the next 24 hours. Officials claimed the attacks could include multiple assailants and car bombs throughout Kabul but no specific targets were identified.

Originally, the 28-member NATO alliance had intended to slash the number of troops in Afghanistan by the end of this year but given recent attacks by the Taliban and the apparent inability of the Afghan forces to fend off the Taliban on their own NATO has decided to leave a considerable force in the country. The rise of the Islamic State in Afghanistan also concerns NATO. Secretary-General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg said: "We are in Afghanistan to prevent that Afghanistan again becomes a safe haven for international terrorists ... that is also in our security interest to make sure that that doesn't happen." The NATO operation, Resolute Support will continue with no end date given by Stoltenberg: "Today, NATO allies and Resolute Support operational partners have agreed to sustain the Resolute Support presence ... during 2016. The mission ... will continue to be kept under review and, if necessary, will be adjusted to ensure its effectiveness."The 12,000 NATO forces will consist of about 7,000 from the United States and 5,000 from other NATO members as well as Georgia. The number does not include US counter-terrorism forces. NATO wants to raise about 3 billion euros to help pay for Afghan forces after 2018. The Afghan security forces budget is funded by the US and NATO allies and is already set up to the end of 2017. In accordance with an agreement reached in 2012, NATO allies and partners give $1 billion a year to fund the Afghan security forces. The United States contributes a further $4.1 billion annually. The US has already spent about $65 billion training and preparing Afghan security forces and Afhganistan has received a further $100 billion in aid from international donors. As shown on the appended video, Russia provides some help to Afghanistan's security forces as well.