Sudden deviation tops the causes of traffic accidents in Riyadh    RCRC announces 8 road projects costing over SR8 billion in Riyadh    Saudi Arabia participates in senior humanitarian officials meeting on Ukraine in Brussels    GCC residents, with tourist or transit visa, can perform Umrah    Lendo's $690 million deal with J.P. Morgan: A Game-Changer for Saudi SMEs Osama Alraee on driving SME Growth, Job Creation, and Financial Innovation in Saudi Arabia    Maintenance workers die in fire in Yanbu steam turbine unit    Saudi Minister to visit India for industrial and mining discussions    Saudi Crown Prince receives Syrian President in Riyadh    Israeli forces raid northern West Bank, impose curfew in Tammun and Al-Far'a camp    Canada, Mexico, and China vow retaliation as Trump imposes sweeping tariffs    Ukraine reports 14 killed in Russian missile strike on Poltava    Imavov knocks out Adesanya in second round as Riyadh Season hosts thrilling UFC night    Museum Authority to open second edition of 'Art of the Kingdom' exhibition in Riyadh    Al Ittihad stages dramatic comeback to defeat Al Kholood 4-3 in thriller    Fitch affirms Saudi Arabia's Credit Rating at 'A+' with a Stable Outlook    Al Hilal returns to winning ways with a dominant 4-0 victory over Al Okhdood    Al Nassr signs Colombian striker Jhon Durán from Aston Villa    Saudi composer Nasser Al-Saleh passes away at 63    Saudi drama icon Mohammed Al-Towayan passes away at 79    Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull dies at 78    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Libya's woes continue
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 29 - 08 - 2016

LIBYAN forces trying to destroy Daesh (the so-called IS) in the country's coastal town of Sirte suffered heavy casualties on Sunday as terrorists fought desperately for their lives. At least 35 of them were killed and approaching 200 injured as the militiamen, mostly from the city of Misrata, moved in on the terrorists' final positions.
Unlike in October 2011, when Misratan forces led the final push on Gaddafi's hometown which saw the dictator captured and butchered, the fight against the largely foreign Daesh killers has been extremely tough. More than 375 members of the attacking force, known as Bunyan Marsous, have died so far and nearly 2,000 wounded.
The terrorists have repeatedly delayed the advance with car and truck bombs and IEDs. Few of the Bunyan Marsous militiamen have any military training and therefore suffer casualties from inept tactics which expose them to deadly sniper fire.
But it seems that sheer numbers and military resources, which include precision strikes by US jets, will overwhelm the terrorists, though perhaps not as quickly as commanders are predicting.
However victory will not bring peace to a divided country whose UN-installed government in Tripoli is at odds with the elected parliament in Tobruk. Fayez Serraj, the leader of the Presidency Council and the Government of National Accord, has proved a huge disappointment to his backers in the international community. He arrived in Tripoli at the end of March to a country plagued by power cuts for much of every day, where a shortage of cash meant people could not get money out of the banks and where security, already bad, had just got worse, with daily kidnappings for ransom.
Had the UN thought it through, they could have organized emergency power generators and huge consignments of cash so that Serraj would have scored two easy early wins. But they did neither. The power cuts and the cash shortage have got worse and the original enthusiasm with which Serraj was greeted has turned to despair and even disdain.
He will try to claim credit for the final destruction of Daesh in Sirte but everyone knows that he has had nothing to do with the victory, which rather owes everything to the Misratans. Ever since the Libyan revolution, militias from this once-prosperous and bustling port city have been key power brokers in the west of the country. The crushing of Daesh will reinforce their belief that they have a particularly strong political and military voice.
The Misratans loathe the parliament-appointed head of the armed forces Khalifa Hafter, a former Gaddafi general, who is currently extending his control over Libya's main oilfields. The UN is urging the country to reunite, but as long as Hafter is on the scene, Misratans will block any such moves. Hafter for his part has little time for Misrata. After almost two years, his troops are still battling Daesh and Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Benghazi, who have been supplied from the sea by Muslim Brotherhood members in Misrata.
The possibility of outright civil war between the east and west of the county is becoming ever more real. Power in Libya now comes mostly out of the barrel of a gun. Tripoli is run by militias many of which are also criminal gangs, while in the east Hafter is cracking down on dissent and replacing mayors with army officers. The prospects do not look good.


Clic here to read the story from its source.