Second son of Gaddafi Saif freed from jail in Libya

The second son of former Libyan leader Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, is reported to have been freed under an amnesty. Saif is believed to have been the son Gaddafi preferred as his successor.

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Saif has been held by a militia group in the town of Zintan for the last six years. The militia one of the Zintan brigades are allied with the eastern commander of the Libyan National Army(LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. The group just announced he had been released. However, previous reports of his release have turned out to be incorrect. In 2015 a Tripoli court sentenced Saif to death in absentia as the Zintan group refused to surrender him. Saif is wanted by the International Criminal Court(ICC) and is charged with crimes against humanity during his father's attempts to put down the rebellion against him in 2011..

Saif, now 44, was captured back in November 2011 after he had been three months on the run. Saif played a key role in building relations with the west after 2000 and according to the BBC was considered to be a reformist within his father's regime. However, during the uprising in 2011 he was accused of murdering protesters and inciting violence. No one from the UN-supported Government of National Accord(GNA) has confirmed that Saif was released.

The Libya Herald reports that Zintan is in an uproar after the reported release. Al-Ajmaj al-Aitiri who commands the Zintan Abubakr Al-Siddiq brigade that had been holding Saif, reported that he had been released and had left town. The brigade had captured Saif as he fled through the desert six years ago A statement from the brigade said that it was responding to an amnesty for political prisoners from the eastern-based House of Representatives (HoR) government. The statement added that human rights organizations and the courts should oversee the release of political prisoners. Reports about Saif have in the past turned out to be false. The Herald reports: "Last month, the Zintan military council dismissed as completely false claims by the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fateh Bensouda that Saif had survived an assassination attempt and that he had been handed over to it by Al-Atiri’s brigade."

Saif was visited at the end of last month by the under-secretary for justice from the HoR government, Eisa Alsaghuit who insisted then that he was already a free man. He also said that the view of the eastern HoR government was that Saif was free to go where he wanted. There are numerous unconfirmed reports of where he might have gone including Algeria, Beida in the east or to the south.

While some Zintanis appear angry at Saif's release in the southern city of Sebha there was celebratory gunfire. A recent tweet confirms the Sebha reaction: "Celebratory gunfire can be heard throughout Sebha news that Seif Al Islam AlGafdafi is free.". Another tweet is from the Zintan Elder's Council: "Zintan Elders Council: We refused to use Saif al-Islam #Gaddfi as a political pawn. #Libya" A final tweet suggests that Gaddafi went to Bani Walid in Libya: "Jamahiriya News Retweeted Jamahiriya News The article states that Saif left Zintan to live in Bani Walid. He is now free." We will soon see how much of this is confirmed.

Attempted coup leader opens part of repaired Tripoli international airport

(February 16) Khalifa Ghwell, the prime minister of the Salvation Government presided over the re-opening of the Tripoli International Airport, in celebration of the sixth anniversary of the 17th of February Revolution that overthrew Muammar Gadaffi.

The airport used to be under the control of Zintan brigades which are allied with the eastern commander Field Marshall Haftar.

The brigades attacked the Libyan parliament in Tripoli in May of 2014 after Haftar began his Operation Dignity to clear Libya of all Islamists who opposed him. However, Islamists grouped together as Libya Dawn

clashed with the Zintan brigades and eventually drove them from the international airport that they controlled, and eventually the city of Tripoli. The brigades still control considerable territory to the west of Tripoli. Wikipedia notes:On 14 July 2014, the airport was the site of fierce battle as militias from the city of Misrata attempted to take control of the airport. The airport has been closed to flights since the clashes.[9][10] On 23 August 2014, after 10 days of clashes, Zintan forces, which controlled the airport, withdrew.[11] The Los Angeles Times reported that at least 90% of the airport's facilities, and 20 airplanes, were destroyed in the fighting.Actually only part of the airport was opened today the old terminal for Very Important Persons (VIP). The terminal escaped the 2014 destruction and has been rehabilitated and revamped and was presented as the new Tripoli airport.

The Salvation government was formed with the General National Congress (GNC) as its legislature after the elections of June 2014:The General National Congress (Arabic: المؤتمر الوطني العام‎‎) was a body formed by politicians from the blocs that lost the June 2014 elections in Libya. The GNC had appointed an alternative government for Libya, styled the National Salvation Government, which was led by Khalifa al-Ghawi. [3] The term Libya Dawn Coalition was used to refer to the armed groups and/or the wider political movement supporting the new GNC. The new GNC was one of the major sides in the ongoing Second Libyan Civil War from its formation August 2014 until its dissolution in April 2016.[2][4]

While Wikipedia speaks of the dissolution of the GNC in April of 2016 this is somewhat misleading. When the UN-brokered Government of National Accord(GNA)came to Tripoli the Salvation government lost most of its power to the GNA. The Libya Herald speaks of the administration of the Salvation government as vanishing and of Ghwell fleeing to Misrata. Eventually a number of members of the GNC met and accepted the Libya Political Agreement(LPA) and the GNA and then dissolved themselves and then met as the State High Council of the GNA as described in a DJ article. Ghwell and other members of the GNC rejected this meeting. So some of the leaders of the GNC still considered it as existing and not dissolved.

No one paid any attention until on October 14th last year Al-Ghwell along with others regained control of the Rixos hotel complex that had been the headquarters of the GNA State High Council. However, it had formerly been the headquarters of the GNC and the Salvation government but was seized by militia loyal to the GNA. Within a couple of days many of the Presidential Guards of the GNA defected to support Ghwell and the coup. Here it is four months later and the coup is still ongoing. On 5th of November, officials from the GNA were not allowed at the opening of a new power station only those from the Salvation Government. Just over a week ago, the Libyan National Guard(LNG) was formed a group of brigades many from Misrata that appear to be loyal to Ghwell and the coup.

At today's opening, all along the Airport Road security was provided by gun-mounted vehicles of the Libya National Guard or Misrata's Al Marsa brigade. While the Libyan flag flew at the main gate, one visitor told the Libya Herald that he felt he was in Misrata saying: “The guards, the officials – they were all from Misrata.” The Herald also claimed that many of the guests were those seen protesting against the GNA and its Presidency Council in Martyr's Square.

Mahmoud al-Zaghei, commander of the LNG was there along with many prominent Islamists and members of the GNC as were members of the Justice and Reconstruction Party. After the official opening of the airport by Ghwell, the party went outside to see the first plane land. Apparently, it was a small crop sprayer. The new passenger terminal is supposed to be built by Al-Sarih a local company.

The Libya Observer also covered opening of the airport. Al-Ghwell told the assembled crowd that the reconstruction work had been carried out in less than a year in record time. He said that the government, presumably the Salvation government, was embarked in reviewing bids for purchasing new planes. One wonders how his unrecognized government is able to get funding to buy planes and carry out reconstruction projects. Al-Ghwell said: “We will contact international companies to buy security equipment for the airport to secure passengers. We will make the most of the strategic location of Libya and make it a hub for transit trade." The airport is expected to be operational by mid-March. A source said that reconstruction at the passenger terminal had reached 60 percent. The foundation stone for reconstruction was laid back in March 2016. Al-Ghwell also claimed that the Salvation government would introduce a plan to develop air transport to increase national revenue. One wonders how all this can happen without any intervention by the authorities of the Government of National Accord. The opening is actually a day before the February 17th Day of Rage that started the rebellion against Gadaffi.

Production to re-start from two oil fields in western Libya

Protesters who have been blocking pipelines from Sharara and El Feel oil fields have agreed to reopen them. Oil industry and security officials claim that production could start again within days.

Before the uprising against Gadaffi in 2011, Libya was producing up to 1.6 million barrels per day. While production has doubled since September when eastern oil crescent ports began to export again, it is still just around 600,000 barrels a day. Opening the new fields could boost production by another 365,000 barrels a day.

A faction of the Libyan Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) has blockaded one pipeline since November of 2014 and another from April of 2015. A tweet claims an even longer blockade: "The blockade of El Feel was on 31-May-2013, Elshara on 25-June-2013 Both by Zintanis. Jadran blocked terminals after July-2013". Jadhran blocked ports in the east. The group said it had agreed to unblock both: "The National Oil Corporation should start its work as soon as possible and we, as the Petroleum Facilities Guard, pledge to protect and defend the wealth of the Libyan state." The western section of the PFG is not headed by Ibrahim Jodhran who was head of the eastern PFG until the oil crescent ports were seized from him by troops loyal to eastern commander Field Marshal Khalfa Haftar. Indeed, the western faction are allied with the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Haftar. The area is secured by the Zintan brigades. Idris Madi, who heads the LNA commander center at Zintan said the blockade should be ended by Thursday.

As mentioned, the PFG faction is aligned with the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), a force based in eastern Libya. Its statement was confirmed by the office of Idris Madi, head of the LNA's command center in its western outpost of Zintan. Madi's office said the blockade would end by Thursday. The National Oil Company(NOC) based in Tripoli also confirmed that a deal had been made. However, it noted that similar deals in the past had fallen through. No details were released of the agreement.

A refinery at Zawiya and a complex at Mellitah were readying for a restart. They receive oil from the two fields. A spokesperson for the NOC said that both places had been preparing to restart production and that work to resume delivery of oil was also taking place in the fields. Production would only gradually increase. However, the NOC said that it hoped to reach a goal of 900,000 barrels a day soon and 1.1 million barrels next year. However the NOC needs new funds for its operating budget as well as ending of blockades before it could reach its goal.

The Libya Observer reports that the Rayayna Patrols Brigade of the PFG had reopened the Rayayna oil pipeline on Wednesday after they were instructed to do so by the western operations room of Khalifa Haftar's LNA. The pipeline feeds oil from the Al-Sharara and Al-Feel fields into the two main western oil terminals. The Observer speaks of the brigades as Zintani armed groups. Mustafa Sanallah had filed a lawsuit last October against the militia. He claimed that closure had lost Libya over 27 billion dollars in revenue. Khalid Shakshak said last November that reopening of the Rayayna pipeline to resume pumping oil through it would solve 70 percent of Libya's economic crisis.

However, there is as yet no sign of any solution to the political crisis with the eastern government of the House of Representatives (HoR) and its armed forces commander Khalifa Haftar having control of most of Libya's oil resources. There is no information as to how oil revenue is being divided. However, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) complains that it is not receiving sufficient funds from the Central Bank in a timely fashion to pay for essential services.

UPDATE: There is already a problem with the El Feel field, with guards their rejecting the agreement apparently.

Head of Libyan National Oil Company criticizes Zintan brigades

The chair of the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC), Mustafa Sanallah noted that attempts to raise Libya's oil output face numerous problems. Among them are pipelines closed off by the Zintan brigades from the western Al-Feel and Al-Sharara fields

Sanallah said: “Both oilfields have an output capacity of 400 thousand barrels per day and Libya is definitely missing that because Zintani armed gangs had closed the Reyaina pipelines.” Sanallah said that the NOC is attempting to contact the armed group in order to convince them to allow maintenance personnel to reopen the pipelines. In July 2015 he said that the NOC had contacted Zintan Municipality but was unable to negotiate a solution. Sanallah claims the closure resulted in a loss to the Libyan treasury of 27 billion dollars, saying: “Libya has lost those billions over the acts of a heinous gang.” Sanallah said that the NOC tried to solve the issue through Zintani elders and notables to try and reach a settlement but to no avail and he claimed:

“Even the city’s municipal members failed to oblige the gangs to implement the outcome statement of the July 07, 2016 meeting, in which Italian Eni Oil Company and Spanish Repsol Oil Company took part. We have fell back upon the judiciary and we contacted the General Attorney to arrest the gangs and bring them to justice after all our attempts to settle the issue went in vain.”It is doubtful that the General Attorney has any power to arrest Zintan brigade members.

Libya began production again from the Waha fields in the east, bringing the country’s total output to 580,000 barrels per day. This is up some 80,000 barrels per day since the National Oil Corporation’s (NOC) last posted figure.

The Zintan militias, al-Qaqa and al-Sawaiq battalions, are anti-Islamist militias allied with powerful Marshal Haftar, commander in chief of the Libyan National Army associated with the House of Representatives (HoR), rival government to the UN-backed Government of National Accord. They were part of Haftar's Operation Dignity from the first launching an attack and burning the parliament buildings in May of 2014, as shown on the appended video.

Sanallah unlike many others, such as Martin Kobler the UN envoy to Libya, was quick to welcome the takeover of four oil exporting ports by Haftar from his opponent the head of the Libyan Facilities Guard (PFG) Ibrahim Jodhran. Jodhran actually supported the GNA and its NOC after a deal was signed with the GNA. However, Sanallah was quite critical of the deal and considered Jodhran a schemer and crook. When Haftar gave control of the ports to the NOC and allowed exports, Sanallah was no doubt quite happy. Perhaps, Sanallah will put pressure on Haftar to try and persuade his Zintan allies to allow the oil to flow again. Sanallah fails to mention that the Zintan brigades along with Haftar do not recognize the GNA whose national oil company Sanallah heads.

Islamic State in Libya now attacked from the east by Petroleum Facilities Guard

Salem Jedran, mayor of the town of Ajdabiya, says troops of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) are advancing toward the town of Bin Jawad, which has been held by the Islamic State (IS) since early January.

Jedran claimed that clashes are underway on eastern outskirts of the town. Bin Jawad is about 160 kilometers or 99 miles from the city of Sirte the main stronghold of IS in Libya. A recent tweet includes photos allegedly of the PFG near Bin Jawad: "#Libya : Pro-PFG account released pics of #PFG near Bin Jawad. Localization could be 19km from Bin Jawad - FB ".

The Libya Herald reports that two units of the central region (PFG) from Ajdabiya had moved within a few kilometers of Nufliva and Bin Jawad. A source close to the head of the guards, Ibrahim Jadhran, told the paper that it was "amost" in control of Bin Jawad and very near Nufliya. Jadhran is an opponent of Haftar. Reportedly he has been fired and replaced by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) of PM Al-Thinni. The firing appears not to have taken effect. Jadhran supports the GNA unlike Haftar. The area is heavily mined and two PFG fighters are already reported wounded and sent to Ras Lanuf for medical treatment. The two towns being attacked are thirty kilometers apart and are being attacked by separate units. Nufliya is being approached through desert tracks rather than the road.

The Islamic State is now facing attacks from two fronts. Reports say that the Misrata militia are just 30 kilometers from the city center. The Libyan Gazette reports that forces loyal to the Government of National Accord are now surrounding Sirte. Another report claims that the forces have taken control of the Khaleej power steam plant, even closer to Sirte at 20 kilometers. It had been overtaken by IS just a year ago. The Facebook page of the western operations room Bunyan Marsous (BMOR) claimed that they are working together with the PFG. A PFG source said he did not know but that the Misratan troops would not be allowed to move east to Nufliva and Bin Jawad. No doubt Haftar will be perturbed by what is happening. The PFG supports more power for the eastern area Cyrenaica.

In spite of the fact the Islamic State will have huge problems defending two fronts, Haftar has not yet attacked from the east even though he announced he was marching to liberate Sirte weeks ago. He recently had a council of war with his eastern commanders. His western Zintan area Chief of Staff, Abdul Razak Al-Nazhuri, was not present. He recently threatened to "liberate" Tripoli. The GNA PM Serraj and the UN's Martin Kobler do not seem to have noticed. The meeting discussed the army buildup for the advance towards Sirte. Apparently the army is gathered south of the town of Ajdabiya and the group talked of the logistics of a westward advance. They also talked about security in Benghazi after all the militants had been cleared out. Haftar may find that his enemies within the PFG and in the Misrata militia have already defeated IS before he gets started. He has been busy with Operation Volcano attacking Shura Council jihadists who were instrumental in clearing the Islamic State out of the city.

Libyan National Army in Zintan threatens to liberate Tripoli

There are now several reports that the Libya National Army (LNA) has warned it is only 10 kilometers from Tripoli and will soon be liberating Tripoli.

First reports of the warning came in a tweet yesterday: " Khalifa Hafter's top aide Abdul Raziq Nadouri: Our forces are 10km away from Tripoli, liberating it is very soon." Today there is a report in the Libya Herald.

The warning came from Chief of Staff Abdul Razak Al-Nazhuri during the graduation ceremony of 1,600 House of Representatives (HoR) Ministry of the Interior Special Forces in Zintan. He also conducted a tour of forces loyal to the LNA in the region. The recruits are said to have come from all regions of the country.

The LNA and General Haftar, the commander-in-chief of the LNA, have warned a number of times that as part of Operation Dignity they would be liberating Tripoli. The ZIntan brigades burned the parliament buildings after Haftar started his operation in Benghazi as shown on the appended video This happened back in May of 2014. The Zintan brigades were later driven from Tripoli and the airport they were protecting by the Libya Dawn militia associated with the rival Salvation government of the General National Congress (GNC). The fighting completely destroyed the Tripoli International Airport and some planes. The airport is still not open.The Zintan brigades are loyal to Haftar as well as the HoR and consider themselves part of the LNA, even though they're in the west. They reject the GNA.

Nazhuri said that there must be one unified Libya with one Libyan army and police. He said the LNA would not accept ministers in the GNA who he claimed had been supplying terror groups in Benghazi with weapons to fight the LNA. He said that the LNA wanted to send a message that there would be no "Karzai"- the former head of the Afghan government often viewed as a puppet- in Libya. The graduation ceremony was meant as a show of strength of the LNA in the west and meant to make it clear that pro-GNA militia are not in control of all of western Libya.

While Haftar started a move towards Sirte with many troops and vehicles from the south and east almost three weeks ago, he has not yet attacked the Islamic State as promised. He is busy attacking the Shura Council.fighters in Sirte, fighters instrumental in driving IS from Derna, with his Operation Volcano, The Zintan brigades have been idle bystanders. As the Herald reports: Equally, Zintan’s Presidency Council (PC) representative, Mohamed Al-Aswad has been boycotting the PC while the rest of the PC based in the Bu Sitta Naval Base have continued without him. The High State Council, dominated by former members of the GNC and led by Zintan-arch enemy Abdelrahman Swehli have also continued to impose itself while Zintan seems to be side-lined from the new power share-out.The Special Representative of the Secretary-General Martin Kobler, and the PM of the GNA government Faiez Serraj have so far not responded to the threat from the LNA. The main stream media have yet to pay much attention either.

US claims foreign meddling may doom Libya UN talks

According to a report in Reuters, senior U.S. officials have little faith in positive results from the UN-sponsored talks to stop fighting in LIbya and form a unity government.

I am always suspicious of reports of this type but what they often do is project what a country wants the public to think is happening. This report comes courtesy of anonymous senior US officials who claim that the meddling is by several Middle Eastern countries including the UAE and Egypt on the side of the internationally recognized government in Tobruk led by Al-Thinni and Qatar on the side of Islamist militias such as Libya Dawn in Tripoli.

 Claudia Gazzini, senior Libya analyst with the International Crisis group, believes that Egypt has undermined diplomatic efforts to find a solution by encouraging Haftar to attack with the blessing of the Tobruk Al-Thinni government. This support has led the eastern forces to think they can retake the whole country and also to launch air strikes in Tripoli and elsewhere. This may be correct but from his very first attempt at a coup in February of this year Haftar has exuded confidence even when he was extremely weak and his coup attempt completely fizzled.

When he started Operation Dignity, groups loyal to him still controlled Benghazi and Tripoli with the Zintan brigades responsible for security at the International Airport — even though they were the same group who sacked and burned the parliament as part of Operation Dignity. Militias from Misrata and elsewhere came to Tripoli and formed the umbrella group Libya Dawn that took the airport away from the Zintan brigades and also occupied all of Tripoli and set up a competing government. Benghazi was also taken over by an umbrella group of militias opposed to Haftar including the militant Ansar al-Sharia group.

 The Reuters article report claims:.Washington says it has spent months trying to ease rivalries inside and outside Libya. In September, Secretary of State John Kerry met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo and urged him to let Libyans decide their own fate.In November, American officials threatened to impose sanctions on Libyan factions who continued fighting, and urged regional powers to back dialogue, not military action The Al-Thinni government gave Haftar the green light to retake Benghazi and Tripoli. Haftar even boasted about his campaigns to retake Benghazi and Tripoli. There were no sanctions forthcoming from the US or anyone else nor did the US do anything to prevent Egypt from its continuing support for Haftar. If the US were serious about ensuring that the diplomatic process worked, it has the ability to punish the Tobruk government which is in great need of international support. After all, on November 6th the Libyan Supreme Court declared the June elections unconstitutional and that the Tobruk House of Representatives should be dissolved.

It certainly is possible that the US is worried that Haftar is not up to the job of taking control of Libya. The US may very well hope that the talks tomorrow do fail. This is likely independent of any foreign meddling since the Al Thinni government has placed impossible conditions on there being any dialogue: Thinni laid down new conditions for talks with the rival government, asking the Tripoli administration to recognize the elected parliament first, the website said. Armed groups such as Dawn also had to withdraw from the capital. As the bombings and attacks by Haftar continued, prime minister Omar al-Hasi of the Tripoli government also rejected dialogue.


 The key to what may happen in the next while is to be found in a statement of a number of countries on the talks and the situation in Libya: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, the EU and the UN reiterated their calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and underscored their willingness, if key stakeholders fail to participate in the UN-led process, to consider additional measures to protect Libya's unity, stability and prosperity, and to counter expanding terrorist threats to Libya and the region. The last part of the statement ties the consequences of a failed dialogue into the US favorite narrative for intervention the war on terror and radical Islam. There certainly are radical Islamists in Libya. There have been for decades. Gadaffi put them in jail and often tortured suspected militants. The CIA even rendered one prominent Libyan rebel Abdelhakim Belhadj to be jailed in Libya by Gadaffi. Now the internationally recognized Libyan government in Tobruk has been bombing its own people in the name of combating terrorism. This is a repeat of the Gadaffi narrative. However, this time it is American citizen, and probable former CIA asset Haftar who is doing the bombing and with the support of Egypt. If the UN talks fail then Haftar will not be punished for assuring they failed — he will have even more help to "counter expanding terrorist threats to Libya and the region."

 This is what Haftar's Operation Dignity was supposed to be all about. Dr. Theodore Karasik is the Director of Research and Consultancy at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) in Dubai, UAE. He is also a Lecturer at University of Wollongong Dubai. Dr. Karasik received his Ph.D in History from the University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Karasik wrote in an article in June that analyzed the situation as he saw it then:
Remarkably, it seems that President Obama’s new national security doctrine is at work: Egypt, along with General Haftar, are taking the lead on reversing Libya’s decline with back-up support from America. This move should be interpreted for exactly what it is: Egypt and allies are helping General Haftar first and foremost and relying on America for partnership through a stand-by position in this particular case. America has no appetite to get involved fully in Libyan and Egyptian affairs in North Africa.

However now the Haftar, Egypt, mission is not delivering. If the talks fail tomorrow as the US officials believe, this will trigger additional measures to counter the expanding terrorist threat in Libya. A number of countries have already signed on for a possible round two of international intervention in Libya. Dr. Karasik ponders:

Will General Haftar be the next charismatic, nationalist leader of Libya? General Haftar’s vision for Libya seems to be already in place and his appeal to a good number of Libyans is evident. With additional victories and the wiping out of the opposition, General Haftar’s portrait will soon be posted not only on buildings and streets but across cyberspace. General Haftar has already congratulated President Sisi for his victory. Will President Sisi congratulate a President Haftar in the near future?

More mysterious plane attacks on Islamist positions near Tripoli

General Saqr Jarrushi, an aide to CIA-linked General Hafter, claimed that their forces carried out an air strike on the town of Gharyan, 120 kilometers southwest of the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Militia in the town are associated with the umbrella group Libya Dawn of mostly Islamist militias that control Tripoli and the international airport there. The same group had been targeted on several nights as it wrested control of Tripoli and the international airport from the Zintan brigades that are allies of Haftar. The rebels accused the UAE and Egypt of being behind the attacks, as did the US — at least for a time. Haftar claimed it was a joint operation by his forces and the international community. The planes involved were not of a type that are part of the Libyan air force.
 The Libyan state news agency said that 15 people were wounded in the recent raid directed at a munitions depot. General Haftar began the main conflict with Islamist militias in May and called it Operation Dignity. He attacked two Islamist bases in Benghazi where he had his headquarters. His allies, the Zintan brigades, attacked the elected parliament, burned it, and kidnapped a number of Islamist legislators and officials. Afterwards they continued to provide security for the Tripoli international airport. However, after lengthy clashes, they were driven out by militia from Misrata and are now being bombarded in an area called Warshefana on the outskirts of the city. The area is surrounded on all sides by militia who are bombarding the area and keeping out supplies.
 Forces loyal to Haftar are threatening to bomb Benghazi port unless authorities closed it to prevent arms from coming in for Islamist militia. He is prepared to ruin the port apparently to prevent it being used to supply the militias. The new legislators elected in June were to meet originally in Benghazi as the interim government had passed a law to move it there. However, before its scheduled meeting, Benghazi was taken over by an umbrella group of Islamist militias who over-ran military bases run by Libyan Special Forces who are allies of Haftar, Haftar still controls an airport on the outskirts from which he still seems able to launch some bombing attacks locally at least.
 It is not clear if he would be able to launch attacks near Tripoli. He may be protecting some foreign government that is giving him aid. The elected legislators finally met in the eastern city of Tobruk. They are loosely allied with Haftar, although the interim government had called Operation Dignity an attempted coup and ordered Haftar arrested. As with many orders of the earlier government the order was never carried out. Many Islamist groups do not recognize the government in Tobruk.
The internationally recognized government in Tobruk has lost control of many ministries. Islamist groups reconvened the General National Congress and it has appointed a new prime minister.
 The head of the UN mission in Libya, Bernardino Leon, who has been on the job only two weeks, said that only a political solution could solve the crisis. However, with the Islamist militias in control of Tripoli and Benghazi and with Haftar resorting to air bombardments after being defeated on the ground and having the internationally recognized government in an area under his control, it seems unlikely that either side is willing to recognize the other as a legitimate partner to forge a political solution. I would not be surprised if within a short time the west will suddenly discover that all the Islamists in Libya are akin to Ansar al-Sharia and need to be defeated and banned from politics as in Egypt. The CIA-linked General Haftar will save Libya from Islamists copying the formula of el-Sisi in Egypt. France is already calling for intervention.

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.

Libya now has one government in Tripoli and another in Tobruk

Yesterday, September 6, the former Libyan parliament the General National Congress(GNC) swore in a new government in Tripoli the capital. On September 7th the House of Representatives elected in June will swear in a cabinet when they meet in Tobruk.

The government in Tobruk meets there because the government was originally supposed to move from Tripoli to Benghazi but could not meet there as the city is now mostly controlled by an umbrella group of Islamist militias. 

The GNC-sponsored government is supported by Islamist militias and others opposed to CIA-linked General Haftar, whose allies the Zintan brigades have been driven from Tripoli by the Islamist umbrella group Libya Dawn. The government in Tobruk is loosely linked to General Haftar. Omar al-Hassi, the Prime Minister and 10 ministers including the oil minister, justice minister, and minister for foreign affairs were sworn in. The GNC refused to recognize the legitimacy of the assembly in Tobruk. The newly elected parliament headed by previous prime minister Abdullal al-Thinni is to swear in the new government there today.

 While the Tobruk government is recognized internationally, it has lost control of ministries located in Tripoli. The United Nations claims that fighting in the two main cities of Tripoli the capital and Benghazi in the east resulted in a quarter of a million people fleeing, with 100,000 being displaced internally.

 Reuters reports on a Libyan claim that a Sudanese plane might be bound for Tripoli carrying arms for militias that control the city. By "Libya" Reuters means the government in Tobruk. The government statement said: "This work from the Sudanese state violates (the sovereignty) of the State of Libya and interferes with its affairs.We, the Libyan government, firmly denounce that a Sudanese military plane has penetrated the Libyan airspace without an official permit from the Libyan government. The plane was carrying ammunition which had not been officially approved by the Libyan government." 

 Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi the Egyptian president expressed support for the parliament in Tobruk and warned against foreign intervention in Libyan affairs. However, according to the US, Egypt and the UAE have already been involved in several night bombings of Tripoli recently as the Islamists were in the process of driving out Haftar's allies the Zintan brigades. The US claims the planes came from the UAE but used bases in Egypt to launch the attacks. However, the enclosed video claims that the US decided to withdraw its claims about Egypt and the UAE. Haftar himself claimed the bombings were a joint action by him and the international community without naming any countries. Even before the US spoke out, Islamists had blamed the UAE and Egypt.

 El-Sisi also said if there were intervention in Libya, Egypt could act to defend its national security. While most of Tripoli is now relatively quiet fighters from Operation Dawn who control Tripoli have been clashing with the Warshefana tribe allied with the Zintan brigades in the Warshefana area that is southwest of Tripoli. British Ambassador Michael Aron confirmed the clashes in a tweet from Tripoli: "City is quiet. Families out on seafront last night. But shelling of Warshefana areas clearly heard,"

Mystery planes bombard Tripoli for a third night in a week

For a third night unidentified aircraft struck targets in Tripoli. The attacks came just hours after the Misrata militia claim they have finally gained control of the Tripoli International AIrport from the rival Zintan brigades.

The Misrata militia are part of a larger umbrella group called Libya Shield and also Libya Dawn, both pro-Islamist.The Zintan brigades are allied with General Khalifa Haftar and his Operation Dignity. Although part of the Libyan Air Force has defected to ally itself with the general, Libya is not believed to have planes capable of launching the attacks. Most of Libya's air force was destroyed by western attacks during the Libyan uprising that overthrew Gadaffi. According to Reuters as reported in Al Jazeera, Tripoli residents heard the jets just at dawn followed by explosions, but there were no details of what had been hit available.

 General Haftar, who has past links to the CIA, has claimed responsibility for the earlier attacks and says they are a joint action with the international community. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement: "Egypt categorically denies press reports that Egyptian warplanes bombarded positions held by armed Islamist militias in the Libyan capital." The Misrata militia that was attacked said that Egypt and the UAE provided the jets. The group reported attacks around Tripoli airport killed 13 people. Both Egypt and the UAE oppose Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood who in turn support the Misrata militia and other Islamist groups. 

An umbrella group of Islamists took control of Haftar's main base in Benghazi and also ousted Special Forces loyal to Haftar who were providing security for the city. Haftar was left only in control of an airfield on the outskirts. The newly elected parliament was scheduled to meet in Benghazi after the outgoing government voted to move the parliament there from Tripoli. However, the parliament met instead in the far eastern city of Tobruk, for security reasons and no doubt as well to avoid areas where Islamists would have a great deal of influence rather than Haftar and his allies. 

 The UN and most foreign embassies have evacuated most or all of their staff and the embassies have closed. Most airlines have also stopped flying into Libya as the number of usable airports dwindles. The Tripoli International Airport is in ruins with many planes destroyed or damaged. It has been closed since clashes first started back on July 13th. The control tower had been previously damaged but now after the latest bombing the main terminal is reported to have been destroyed by fire. 

 The outgoing General National Congress, questioned the legitimacy of the newly elected parliament after it decided to meet in Tobruk against the decision of the GNC that is should he held in Benghazi. Now, spokesperson for the GNC Omar Ahmidan announced:"The General National Congress will hold an emergency meeting in Tripoli to save the country's sovereignty," Islamist groups claim they have no confidence in the new parliament situated far off in the eastern city of Tobruk.

 The parliament in Tobruk seems to lack any power. It has asked for international help and pleaded with the warring militia to agree to a ceasefire. The Zintan brigades at Haftar's request had occupied and burned the parliament buildings in Tripoli and kidnapped a number of legislators and officials. Now Haftar and his allies want to ensure that a parliament said to have a majority of anti-Islamist members is not subject to a similar attack by pro-Islamist groups. 

That the identity of the planes attacking Tripoli remains a mystery after three nights of raids is itself a mystery. Intelligence agencies and governments must know where these planes took off from and would be able to track their flight there and back. Why is it that no country seems to be making any sort of outcry at what is a terrorist attack on a capital city. What is much more important is to find out who was the alleged executioner of journalist James Foley. Can you imagine the press coverage and outrage if unidentified planes bombed even Ottawa let alone Washington or London? .