"We came, we saw, he died."
—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on that time the British SAS-advised NTC rebels caught Gaddafi and sodomized him with a bayonet and Leading from Behind jokes made the rounds in D.C.
That was preceded by a U.S. Predator drone hitting Gaddafi's escaping convoy and then the French Air Force came screaming in....*
From gCaptain, November 5:
Russia is moving to expand its military presence in eastern Libya, a plan that could lead to a naval base, giving it a significant foothold on Europe’s southern doorstep.
A defense accord is being hammered out between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Libya’s eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar following their meeting in Moscow in late September, according to people briefed on the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive issues.
The escalation of Russian activity in Libya represents a fresh challenge to the US and its European allies, which are already locked in a standoff with the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine and the country’s potential role in any wider Middle East conflict stemming from the Israel-Hamas war. Russia has been heavily active in neighboring Syria throughout that country’s decade-long civil war.
The threat is being taken “very seriously” by the US administration, said Jonathan Winer, a former US special envoy to Libya. “Keeping Russia out of the Mediterranean has been a key strategic objective — if Russia gets ports there, that gives it the ability to spy on all of the European Union.”
Covert Presence
Russia has had a covert presence in the North African oil exporter for several years via the Wagner mercenary group, which moved in during the power vacuum and civil war that followed the NATO-backed removal of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. The Russian defense ministry has been systematically taking control of Wagner’s activities since its mutinous leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his top aides died in a mysterious plane crash in August.The groundwork done by Wagner to advance the Kremlin’s interests in Africa and the Middle East has allowed Moscow to quickly ramp up its foreign military assets. It’s also seeking a naval base on the Red Sea in Sudan, which would give it permanent access to the Suez Canal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Peninsula, though a civil conflict in that country may put back those plans.
Libya is divided between dueling administrations in the western capital, Tripoli, and the east, where Haftar holds sway. It’s common for each side to oppose foreign policies and other decisions made by its rival.
Haftar, 79, controls many of the major oil facilities in Libya, an OPEC producer that’s home to some 40% of Africa’s reserves. He’s looking for air-defense systems to protect him against rival forces in Tripoli, who have been backed by Turkey’s military, according to people close to his self-styled Libyan National Army....
May 2020Or:
"Turkey warns Libya's Haftar of military escalation"
What the hell is Turkey doing in Libya?
I seem to recall something about "We came, We saw, He died"
And a U.S. Predator drone hitting Gaddafi's escaping convoy and then the French Air Force came screaming in.
And then the British SAS-advised NTC rebels caught Gaddafi and sodomized him with a bayonet and Leading from Behind jokes made the rounds in D.C. and David Cameron joined the Council on Foreign Relations and tried to raise a $1 billion UK-China fund but proved he's no Tony Blair in the money game but
What the hell is Turkey doing in Libya?
January 2018
Mr. Obama, Mr. Cameron, About that Libya ThingMarch 2016
January 2016
"Libya Threatens to Open Migrant Floodgates Into Europe"
US-Russian Marines Set Up Bridgehead in Eastern Libya for Campaign Against ISIS
Following up on yesterday's "Tony Blair Calls For Ground Troops Pretty Much the Across Middle East"....August 2013
I Don't Think U.S. Middle East/North African Policy is Working So Well: "Libya on the Brink of Chaos"
Either the U.S. backing of the "Arab Spring" was a deliberate attempt to set the MENA on fire or we are governed by idiots....
