Libya News and Interests

[dukkha]

Libya plans to shut down three of its biggest migration detention centres, the country's Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha has announced.

The centres in question are in Misrata, Tajoura and Khoms.

Organisations that monitor the situation in Libya fear these closures may lead to even more overcrowding in the remaining centres.

They also fear the possibility of many more migrants being left in the hands of traffickers.

The UN last month called for the dismantling of all detention centres for refugees in Libya, saying the facilities were not fit to house migrants.
It is believed there are 12 detention centres in western Libya nominally run by the UN-recognised government in Tripoli.

Libya's plans to close three of the centres follows criticism that migrants were being returned to Tajoura after it was hit by a deadly missile attack in July.

That "outrageous" attack could amount to a war crime, said the UN's Libya envoy Ghassan Salamé and top human rights official Michelle Bachelet.

But the UN Security Council failed to condemn it after the US declined to endorse a joint statement, according to diplomats.

Tajoura Detention Centre is close to the capital, Tripoli, where there is ongoing fighting between the UN-recognised government and the Benghazi-based Libyan National Army which has vowed to take over the city.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49203792

 

[Bill]

I do vids when I'm too lazy to look for text.
I still hate them as a waste of my time many times..

I don't know if it's possible to "send them back" send them back to what? how?

Libya's southern border is long and undermanned ( and no doubt corruptable)

BACK to Libya...

They can stop them right there before they get out to sea...

THese men are piling on boats w/out a care for seaworthiness as their intent is to be rescued & given a ride to Europe by the Europeans.......

 

[Bill]

current map

Which side are we on again?? & why??

 

[anatta]

Which side are we on again?? & why??

well..

we were neutral until Haftar made advances -then we backed him , but then we backed out when the Tripoli offensive stalled

We definately are not happy with the GNA ( Tripoli gov't)-back by Islamists and militias

I suppose there is some "karma" in there -coming back to bite us, as we are a proximate cause
( along with NATO) of the unraveling of Libya

Russia is smart. playing all sides without committing to any one force

 

[anatta]

BACK to Libya...

They can stop them right there before they get out to sea...

THese men are piling on boats w/out a care for seaworthiness as their intent is to be rescued & given a ride to Europe by the Europeans.......

The "libya government" is so weak in Tripoli it can't even administer it's own territory -relying on factions like the Misrata Brigades and various militias to check Haftar and provide civil security.

If they can't even administer to Tripoli ( water shortages, days long brown outs, currency shortages etc)
they sure aren't going to try to police their coastlines

 

[Bill]

The "libya government" is so weak in Tripoli it can't even administer it's own territory -relying on factions like the Misrata Brigades and various militias to check Haftar and provide civil security.

If they can't even administer to Tripoli ( water shortages, days long brown outs, currency shortages etc)
they sure aren't going to try to police their coastlines

Sad, yes that would not be a priority, but @ a price???

 

[anatta]

Sad, yes that would not be a priority, but @ a price???

For Libyans themselves the priority is this current version of the continuing civil wars after the assassination of Qadaffi

 

[anatta]

Oded Berkowitz Retweeted
Akshita Aggarwal
@AkshitaAggarw20
·
Aug 6
#Libya: #LNA claims to have destroyed a #Turkish cargo plane (carrying weapons and ammunition from #Ankara) & the #GNA's air defense system radars through airstrikes targeting the #Misrata Air College last night.

 

[Bill]

So is the turk bully going to back up his threats & do something about it??

 

[dukkha]

So is the turk bully going to back up his threats & do something about it??

What is Turkey doing in Libya?
https://www.dw.com/en/what-is-turkey-doing-in-libya/a-49505173

~~
GNA government is engaged in a civil war with the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), led by the renegade general, Khalifa Haftar. Ankara's involvement has infuriated the general, and over the past few weeks his attitude toward Turkey has hardened. The LNA has banned commercial flights between the two countries, prohibited Turkish ships from docking on the Libyan coast and threatened to arrest Turkish citizens. Six Turkish citizens were in fact detained for several hours in late June, and were only freed after stern threats from Ankara.

These escalating tensions follow the heavy defeat Haftar suffered when making an advance on Tripoli. A major offensive was launched at the beginning of April, but it failed; shortly afterward, government troops also recaptured the key city of Gharyan in western Libya. These troops were equipped with armored cars and drones supplied by Turkey.

What is Turkey doing in Libya?

Libya is a country rich in oil and gas reserves that borders important Mediterranean trade routes. The country's destabilization aroused the avarice of various international players, including the Turkish government.

Oytun Organ of the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies believes this avarice was one of the decisive factors that prompted Ankara to interfere in Libya. "A lot of Turkish companies were already active in Libya under [Libyan dictator Moammar] Gadhafi," he said.

Among other things, Turkish companies were also involved in numerous lucrative construction projects in Libya. Precise figures aren't available, but the volume of investment is believed to have totaled several billion US dollars. "But after the civil war [the 2011 war that eventually led to the fall of Gadhafi — Editor's note], Libya became less economically important," explained Organ. "Interest in investment declined markedly."

However, the Turkish government remained in close contact with the unity government in Tripoli, and Turkish firms continued to receive contracts — like the one to extend the coastal road in Tripoli. When the conflict with Haftar broke out many of these construction projects were put on ice, and Turkish companies working in Libya lost a great deal of money as a result. The more areas Haftar seizes from the unity government, the smaller the chances the companies will see their money again.

There is also an ideological aspect to Turkish interference in the Libyan conflict. Much of Haftar's support comes from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. All three countries are united in their bitter opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood, which they consider a threat. Turkey, however, also supported Libyan groups close to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in the civil war that led to the fall of Gadhafi.

Along with the Libyan unity government, Turkey and Qatar are able to form a counterweight to the power bloc centered on Saudi Arabia — a constellation also found in other parts of the Middle East.

Turkey and the Tripoli government held talks as early as April with the aim of stopping Haftar's advance. These were said to have been concerned with closer cooperation on military and security issues. Militias fighting on behalf of the unity government are believed to have already received direct arms shipments.

'On the brink of a proxy war'

Organ assumes Turkey is on the brink of a proxy war, and that this conflict could well escalate further.

"A balance of power has evolved. That's important and desirable from Turkey's point of view. But it also means that Libya effectively remains divided,"

At the same time, said Organ, this equilibrium between the two camps will entrench the conflict. "They won't reach any agreement, because neither side has an advantage over the other that it can build on," he said.

Emrah Kekilli from the SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research also believes Libya is in deadlock. In his view, Haftar is a militia leader who is not abiding by the law. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also recently railed against Haftar, calling him "just a pirate."

According to Kekilli, Haftar is the reason why resolving the conflict in Libya currently seems hopeless.

The drastic response to Ankara stems from the fact that the general hasn't scored any victories in months," said Kekilli. "He's trying to set up a foreign scapegoat."

 

[Bill]

thnx

 

[dukkha]

thnx

Much of Haftar's support comes from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. All three countries are united in their bitter opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood, which they consider a threat. Turkey, however, also supported Libyan groups close to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in the civil war that led to the fall of Gadhafi.

Along with the Libyan unity government, Turkey and Qatar are able to form a counterweight to the power bloc centered on Saudi Arabia — a constellation also found in other parts of the Middle East.

 

[Bill]

Much of Haftar's support comes from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. All three countries are united in their bitter opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood, which they consider a threat. Turkey, however, also supported Libyan groups close to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in the civil war that led to the fall of Gadhafi.

Along with the Libyan unity government, Turkey and Qatar are able to form a counterweight to the power bloc centered on Saudi Arabia — a constellation also found in other parts of the Middle East.

$o we supply arms to all of them..

If they ever get into a direct conflict who do we support our nato ally or our good customers.......

 

[dukkha]

photos showing the aftermath of the IED attack against a UNSMIL vehicle in Hawari, southern #Benghazi.
At least 8 casualties reported so far as a result of the incident.

 

[Bill]

WTF??? Why attack the UN??

 

[dukkha]

WTF??? Why attack the UN??

The UN is not welcome in Bengazi/Tobruk/east - the UN backs the GNA government in Tripoli

 

[Bill]

The UN is not welcome in Bengazi/Tobruk/east - the UN backs the GNA government in Tripoli

NK was @ war w/ the UN....

 

[anatta]

Fighting Around Tripoli Resumes, Truce Over
https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/libya-officials-fighting-around-tripoli-resumes-truce-over

GNA forces n southern Tripoli June 2019

Libyan officials say the fighting around Tripoli has resumed, following a two-day truce observed during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

The officials said on Tuesday that the self-styled Libyan National Army led by commander Khalifa Hifter carried out airstrikes overnight on the southern outskirts of Tripoli.

They say the militias allied to the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli also shelled Hifter's forces in the area. On Saturday, both sides had accepted a U.N.-proposed truce during Eid al-Adha, which began Sunday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Hifter's forces launched an offensive in April to capture Tripoli. The fighting has killed over 1,100 people, mostly combatants, and displaced more than 100,000 civilians.

The battle lines have changed little over recent weeks.

 

[anatta]

For the first time ever, a weaponised laser shot from a combat vehicle destroyed an enemy vehicle in battle, and it is Turkish technology behind one of the more significant recent advancements in military technology, according to the military news site Army Recognition.

“Turkey is not sufficiently recognised in the ranks of the countries-innovators in military affairs,” Alexander Timokhin wrote for Army Recognition on Monday. “But it seems that they will be able to surprise the population of the planet in this century.”

In Libya’s conflict, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been supporting the UN-backed, Tripoli-based government, mainly for its links to Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. On the other side, the Libyan National Army led by General Khalifa Haftar is supported by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Russia, and has received verbal support from U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Haftar is slowly but surely winning,” said Timokhin, adding that Turkey has sent heavy weapons, advisers and instructors in response, and recently began transferring militants from Syria as well as advanced high-tech weapons.

Earlier this month, an armed UAE drone, made in China as the Wing Loong II, was doing reconnaissance over the Misurata area for Haftar and looking for targets for its anti-tank missile. Suddenly, it plummeted and crashed into the desert, and the photo soon flew around the world.

The Turkish laser that shot down the UAV in mid-flight, according to Timokhin, is mounted on an off-road armored car and equipped with a Turkish-made opto-electronic guidance system.

“The system allows you to accurately inspect the target for firing, to select a vulnerable point, and then hold the laser marker on this point until the target is completely destroyed,” said Timokhin.

This is no longer an experimental technology, he added, but a fully functional combat vehicle armed with a laser gun, tested in battle against advanced military technology, not against a commercial drone bought on eBay.

said Timokhin.

Turkey has long sought to achieve military superiority in the region and seriously invested in innovative weapon systems. Working with state research institute Tubitak, the Turkish company Savtag developed experimental lasers, from 1.25 kW up to 50 kW, and by 2015 they had begun successfully hitting targets, according to Timokhin.

That year alone, Turkey spent $450 million on the programme. “For a country that has access to all Western technologies and already saves a lot of money on R&D, this was a very impressive amount,” said Timokhin.

Aselsan Holding, Turkey’s top defence contractor, soon took over the laser weapons programme, and by July 2018 announced it had successfully tested a combat laser capable of destroying unmanned drones from 500 meters and explosive devices from 200 meters.

Even conscripts could use these new weapons, and the cost of firing the laser gun is equal to the price of diesel fuel spent during the shooting, Timokhin added. This epochal news is unlikely to have a big impact, until Turkey uses the weapon on a bigger stage. But that doesn’t mean it is insignificant.

“This is all the more surprising because both Russia and the United States are superior to the Turks in laser technology,” said Timokhin, adding that both do have laser weaponry in operation.

https://ahvalnews.com/turkish-milit...own-enemy-drone-libya-making-military-history

 

[Loving91390]

All that and ..... nobody cares !