A video released by ISIS shows one of the primary obstacles to the new Libyan “unity government” that was recently signed into existence.
The video appears to have been filmed in Sirte, and shows ISIS taking advantage of the chaotic situation in Libya by setting up its own “Islamic Police” force.
The video shows about 12 masked “policemen” standing at attention with rifles, white vans flashing emergency lights, and traffic police directing vehicles.
Though the primary focus of global powers has been in Syria and Iraq, ISIS has been increasing its foothold in other neighboring regions.
“In Iraq and Syria, ISIL has suffered significant setbacks. It doesn’t mean that they don’t remain a threat. They do. <…> We’ve seen them try to get a toehold in North Africa,” US State Dept spokesman John Kirby said.
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter had earlier compared ISIS to a”tumor”:
“Even as we work to defeat ISIL in Syria and Iraq, where its parent tumor has grown, we also recognize ISIL has metastasized elsewhere” Carter said.
A UN report has also stated that “while currently concentrated in its stronghold in Sirte, ISIL could seek local alliances to expand its territorial control, also entailing the risk of motivating additional foreign terrorist fighters to join the group in Libya,”
While IS is currently (mostly) confined to Sirte, it is fighting for control over Libya’s largest oil hub- the port city of Ajdabiya.
The video comes days after Libya turned away a batch of 20 US special forces troops- the first confirmed to have been deployed in Libya since 2014. Photos of the heavily-armed troops who were allegedly there to “engage in dialogue with representatives of the Libyan National Army” were posted on the Libyan Air Force’s Facebook page.
‘With the concurrence of Libyan officials, US military personnel traveled to Libya on 14 December to engage in a dialogue with representatives of the Libyan National Army.
‘While in Libya, members of a local militia demanded that the US personnel depart. In an effort to avoid conflict, they did leave, without incident,’ said a spokeswoman who confirmed their presence in Libya, but also claimed that the men were sent with the permission of Libyan officials.
US President Barack Obama has even admitted that the US played a role in creating the chaotic situation in Libya.
“There was a failure on the part of the entire international community, and I think that the US has some accountability for not moving swiftly enough and underestimating the need to re-build the government there quickly,” Obama said recently.
He did not mention how the US-led NATO bombing of the country, which caused the overthrow of Qaddafi, was the primary cause for the messy situation in Libya.
Sources: The Independent, RT, Daily Mail
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