Here's a thread about Libya

[Childlike Empress]

Doesn't really make the news much lately, does it? But when it makes it, it's quite crass stuff like a couple of airliners burning on the airport. What's up? Anybody got good sources? I know there's a "rogue" General, a puppet regime and a bunch of Islamist militias. And just had this in my twitter timeline:


It says that that's the US embassy in Tripoli today. Nice pool. From the distinct absence of alluhakhbarking, I suppose these are the good guys?

 

[angrysoba]

Looks like that video's been taken down, so here's another:



Some more commentary here:

The Dawn of Libya militia group now guards the US embassy in Tripoli and its residential compound, a commander said on Sunday, as onlookers toured the abandoned homes of diplomats who fled the country more than a month ago.

Holes left by small-arms and rocket fire dot the residential compound, reminders of weeks of violence between rival militias over control of Tripoli that sparked the evacuation.

The breach of a deserted US diplomatic post – including videos posted on YouTube of men swimming in the compound’s algae-filled pools – is likely to reinvigorate debate in the US over its role in Libya, more than three years after it supported rebels who toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Almost two years ago the US ambassador, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans were killed in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi.

 

[Childlike Empress]

Thanks, that's the same video. Original taken down due to copyright claim of "video libya". Yeah, sure. Streisand effect for 100.

 

[Childlike Empress]

As to the larger context, from the Guardian article:

A commander for the Dawn of Libya group, Moussa Abu-Zaqia, told Associated Press his forces had been guarding the residential compound since last week, a day after it seized control of the capital and its international airport following weeks of fighting with a rival militia. Abu-Zaqia said the rival militia from Zintan had been in the compound before his troops took it over.

Wikipedia has an article about the battle of Tripoli airport but none about the "Dawn of Libya" militia which it says is a coalition named "Libya Dawn", made up of a couple of militias who are all Islamist as far as I skimmed the links. As I said, the guys in the video don't behave like your average Islamist militants do (lack of allahuakhbarking). Could be all kinds of explanations for that in this confusing situation.

 

[Childlike Empress]

The article about the airport battle says Libya Dawn is backed by Qatar while Zintani is backed by Egypt and the Emirates.

And then we have this: US Furious After Source Of "Mystery" Libya Bombing Raids Revealed

[...] That party, or rather, parties has been revealed as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which as the NYT reports, "have secretly teamed up to launch airstrikes against Islamist-allied militias battling for control of Tripoli, Libya, four senior American officials said, in a major escalation between the supporters and opponents of political Islam." [...]

So the (pro-Government and non-Islamist) side they were backing has lost despite the strikes? Did they target the airport to make it unusable (90% destroyed claims LA Times, but nobody seems to say that the airstrikes had something to do with it). And then why isn't anybody allahuakhbarking at the pool?

 

[Childlike Empress]

Gaddafi’s ghost haunts walking-dead King Sarko

The “Colonel Sarko bombshell” exploded on Wednesday evening: he had been placed under formal investigation for passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, and misappropriation of Libyan state funds. Sarkozy spent the whole of Tuesday, from 8am until midnight, answering questions in police custody from crack investigators specialized in corruption, tax evasion and money laundering. He was allowed to sleep at home but had to be back the next morning, up until the early evening. He was finally released on bail. [...] Sarkozy, widely derided by progressives as “King Sarko” during his tenure, is suspected of having financed his 2007 presidential campaign with Gaddafi funds. And the evidence, in this case, does exist. Among other explosive pieces, an official Libyan document, obtained through an investigation conducted by the French website Mediapart, proves Gaddafi handed over no less than 50 million euros to Sarkozy’s campaign. [...]

Wow, finally some justice? Gaddafi's son has said that all along. Apropos:

Gaddafi's Son Running for Libya’s Presidency,

[...] The news was announced by Ayman Abu Ras, the spokesman for the Libyan Popular Front, at a conference in Tunisia. Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, has been nominated as a candidate for the Libyan presidency in the 2018 elections, Libyan Express reported on Monday. Abu Ras said Saif is striving for national reconciliation as well as aiming to rebuild the war-torn nation. [...]

 

[Childlike Empress]

(A lot) more on the current situation: In a Free Libyan Election, Gaddafi’s Son Could Win

 

[Henri McPhee]

Libya seems to be a total mess, rather like Syria might be if there was regime change there. It was empty waffle by David Cameron.

 

[Airfix]

It's absolutely disgusting how we dropped a few bombs, destabilised the country, and then after the fall of Gaddafi sat back and watched terrorists run rampant, the whole country collapsed. Scores of people have tried to leave for Europe and drowned and what are we doing about it ? It seems like nothing

 

[Henri McPhee]

Isis seem to have moved off to Libya and Afghanistan, which may be a safe haven for them. The Afghanistan threads seem to have vanished again.

There was another huge murderous Isis car bomb yesterday at a Kabul voter registration place in Kabul yesterday. Isis don't seem to believe in democracy, or freedom of the Press, or free speech, or an independent judiciary. India seems to be helpful to the Afghans at the moment now that Nato is pulling out, rather than Pakistan, which supports the Syrian opposition, rather like Britain. That could be relevant to Libya.

 

[The Don]

Isis seem to have moved off to Libya and Afghanistan, which may be a safe haven for them. The Afghanistan threads seem to have vanished again.

They've only "vanished" because people aren't posting in them. If you post in one or more of them, they'll appear at the top of most people's lists again

You seem to think that there's some sort of conspiracy to censor here - it simply isn't the case.

 

[fagin]

...

Isis don't seem to believe in democracy, or freedom of the Press, or free speech, or an independent judiciary. ...

You think so?

Would never have guessed.

 

[Childlike Empress]

LNA Commander-In-Chief Used “Magicians” To Subdue His Supporters: Defector

In one of the weirdest accusations made during the Libyan war, Mohamad Hijazi a defector of the Libyan National Army (LNA) accused the army’s Commander-in-Chief of using “magic” to subdue subordinates and followers.

Hijazi, who occupied the position of the LNA’s spokesman up until his defection in 2016, said that Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar had brought “magicians” from Niger and Chad to serve him. According to the defector, one of the magicians was paid $500,000 for a ring hosting a Jinni that makes people “cheer and clap” for Haftar. [...]

These ridiculously unbelievable claims were made during an interview with the Libya al-Ahrar TV, which is affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA). The bizarre interview was aired on July 17. [...]

Hijazi has a long history with “magic.” He even claimed during a previous interview that he had defected from the LNA as a result of a spell.

Libya al-Ahrar’s interview with Hijazi is an example of the ongoing propaganda war between all sides in Libya, where no accusation is apparently off limits.