Commander of Libyan Special Forces loyal to Haftar killed in Benghazi by sniper

For months now the head of the internationally-recognized House of Representatives government in Tobruk has supported the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Khalifa Haftar, in his Operation Dignity offensive intended to retake Benghazi and Tripoli.

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He still has not completely recaptured Benghazi, which had been for some time under the control of an umbrella group of radical Islamists called the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries. The group includes Ansar al-Sharia, who are said to be linked to Al Qaeda, and of late there are reports that Daesh or the Islamic State are involved as well. However, Ansar al-Sharia is usually in conflict with the Islamic State as it is in competition with it and many of its fighters have joined the more radical group. In Derna, which for long was the main stronghold of IS in Libya, an umbrella group of jihadists drove out IS from the city, the first serious setback for the group in Libya. IS still holds the city of Sirte and the surrounding area.

A sniper killed Salem al-Naili and another member of LIbya's special forces unit that are loyal to Khalifa Haftar. Four other members were wounded in the same incident. IS claimed responsibility for the attack but there has been no independent confirmation of this. Al-Naili, called "the demon," was commander of the Saiqa 21st brigade, an elite special forces group. The killing happened as Haftar launched an offensive against Islamists who still control parts of the city. The fighting in Benghazi has been going on for more than a year now.

Critics claim artilley and air strikes have reduced much of Benghazi to rubble without gaining all that much ground. Haftar has announced several times that the army has almost cleared out the city of Islamists and he repeated this refrain after this attack. Even the UN is critical of Haftar's offensive especially when conflicting forces have been asked to refrain from attacks while peace talks are ongoing:The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Bernardino Leon, strongly condemns the escalating fighting in Benghazi and the heavy toll it is having on civilians, and reiterates the call for an immediate end to the hostilities. He particularly deplores the shelling of residential areas in the city, and the consequent loss of civilian lives as well as property. The Special Representative reiterates his belief that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Libya and that continuing hostilities will only bring more death and destruction, in addition to the untold suffering of the population.Haftar routinely thumbs his nose at the UN. Instead of being punished or threatened with sanctions, the UN isolates the rival government in Tripoli and gives support for the Tobruk government that supports his Operation Dignity. Notice that the release does not identify any party involved in the clashes.

When asked when the Benghazi battle would be over Haftar said: "I cannot give a date but it will be very soon." However, UN Special Envoy, Leon, reporting to the UN Security Council claimed: "In Benghazi, clashes ... continue with neither side making significant gains.". Haftar paid no attention to the UN warning. In revenge for the killing of his key commander he meted out collective punishment on everyone in the area controlled by militants: This evening salvoes from army howitzers and Grad missile batteries pounded areas occupied by Ansar and Daesh fighters in Benghazi’s Leithi district. This followed five raids by Mig-23s which missiled and bombed militant positions in Nubs Square and Hejaz Street.

I would caution those reading reports from the Libya Herald and the Libya Observer, though they remain key resources for information about the perspectives of the two rival governments. The Herald generally supports the Tobruk government. It is better written and somewhat more objective compared to the Libya Observer that supports the Tripoli government, but Herald reports too are often biased. In this case, the reports as to who the Islamists are who are being attacked by Haftar may be tailored to support the narrative that Haftar is attacking terrorists, whereas there could be a variety of Islamists involved. As with Syrian rebels against Assad, Islamists of all stripes tend to unite against Haftar and they care little that some of those they ally with are regarded as terrorists in the west. The Islamic State however also has become an enemy of all other Islamists radical or otherwise. It is surprising they would cooperate with other Islamists in Benghazi. However, in Libya anything is possible.

Islamist militias in Tripoli and Benghazi Libya reject peace talks brokered by UN

- Islamist militias in Tripoli and also in Benghazi rejected the UN brokered peace talks that are aimed at ending the conflict between mostly Islamist militias and supporters of CIA-linked General Khalifa Haftar.

The Libya Dawn coalition centered in Tripoli said that it would continue with its military operations. The group controls Tripoli. The Shura of Benghazi Revolutionaries that controls most of Benghazi except the airport which is controlled by Haftar loyalists, rejected the talks as unfair.
 The UN envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon is asking that all parties agree to an immediate ceasefire. No representatives of militias were at the talks. Members of the rival government in Tripoli formed by the Islamist militias, however, did attend a UN-backed meeting in Ghadames on September 29, last Monday. There were 12 members from the Tobruk-based House of Representatives elected this spring and from the rival government formed by a rival prime minister Omar al-Hassi chosen by the General National Congress. Leon said: "We have agreed to start a political process to address all issues in a peaceful way with a very strong call for a complete ceasefire throughout the country. Members of the House of Representatives were sending a very clear message that they wanted to solve the problems for people in Libya – the people who are suffering, after weeks of confrontation. They equally agreed that humanitarian relief would be provided for all Libyans." Naim Ghariani of the House of Representatives called on all sides to talk to commanders to arrange an immediate ceasefire: "We are committed to this dialogue. This was a preliminary meeting to launch dialogue and there was keenness to send a positive and optimist message." Another MP Aisa Al-Arabi from the Tobruk group said: "There were some differences in viewpoint, but the desire for the success of this dialogue was clear from both sides, due to the certainty of both parties that the alternative is bad and will result in a civil war tearing the country and leading us to a war that may not end for years."
The talks in Ghadames just a day after prime minister Abdullah al-Thani's new government took office in the eastern city of Tobruk. Some countries such as France have been calling for foreign intervention in Libya. There has been some foreign intervention already in that the Islamist militias who took over Tripoli were subject to bombing attacks in several night raids that Haftar claims were joint operations of his forces and the international community. Rebels, and the US at first, blamed the attacks on Egypt and the UAE. Both countries deny they were involved in the bombings. Haftar does not have aircraft of the type used in the raids.
 At a recent meeting of 15 countries and officials of the elected Libyan government in Madrid Spain, the group rejected the idea of foreign intervention in Libya. However, Egypt has now offered to help train pro-government forces. Egypt's President el-Sisi is anxious to see the powerful Islamist militias in Libya defeated. His own government has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group even though they won the first free elections in Egypt after Mubarak was overthrown. El-Sisi led the coup that resulted in the ouster of former president Morsi.