| ABC News | - |
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates secretly carried out airstrikes against Islamist militias inside Libya,
the United States publicly acknowledged Tuesday, another sharp jolt to
American-led attempts over the past three years to stabilize Libya after ...
Arab Strikes in Libya Show Impatience With US
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates secretly carried out airstrikes
against Islamist militias inside Libya, the United States publicly
acknowledged Tuesday, another sharp jolt to American-led attempts over
the past three years to stabilize Libya after dictator Moammar Gadhafi's
overthrow.
One official said Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia for months have been
supporting a renegade general's campaign against Libyan militant groups,
but that the Saudis don't appear to have played a role in recent
strikes. The Libyan government is too weak and disorganized to fight the
militants itself. Another official said the U.S. was aware that Egypt
and UAE were planning strikes and warned them against it. Neither U.S.
ally notified Washington before launching the strikes, officials said.
"Outside interference in Libya exacerbates current divisions and
undermines Libya's democratic transition," State Department spokeswoman
Jen Psaki told reporters. She said Libya was in a "very fragile place."
But U.S.-led international efforts to secure the country clearly are
fraying as impatience in the region grows. Libya is undergoing its worst
violence since rebels ousted Gadhafi in 2011. Tripoli's international
airport is largely destroyed and diplomats, foreign nationals and
thousands of Libyans have fled. The U.S. embassy there is closed, nearly
two years after the U.S. ambassador was killed while visiting Benghazi.
Since then, powerful militias have seized power and the central
government has proved unable to create a strong police force or unified
military. In recent months, Islamist fighters have confronted a
backlash, losing their power in parliament and facing a counteroffensive
by former Gadhafi and rebel Gen. Khalifa Hifter. Washington doesn't
support the general. But some of Libya's neighbors, fearful of the
growing power of the Islamist extremists, are helping him.
Although Britain, France, Germany and Italy joined the U.S. in
expressing their concerns about the airstrikes, Egyptian officials
denied involvement and the Emiratis haven't commented. The airstrikes
reflect growing international division, with Egypt and the UAE, two of
the region's most powerful, anti-Islamist governments, deciding they
needed to act to prevent Libya from becoming a failed state and a
breeding ground for jihadist activity throughout the Arab world.
A U.S. official said recent airstrikes were done without authorization
from Libya's government. The officials weren't authorized to speak
publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. The Egyptian and UAE role
in the strikes was first reported by The New York Times.
Asked about American influence with its partners in Libya, Psaki
lamented the "very complicated political situation" in the country. She
said the U.S. remained committed to seeing democracy prevail in Libya
even if that will "take some time." She acknowledged U.S. frustration
with the pace of Libya's transition.
Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon's spokesman, called for nations to
refrain from adding to Libya's violence, as did the newly appointed U.N.
envoy to the country, Bernardino Leon. He said an inclusive political
process with all Libyans represented in parliament, government and other
state institutions can end the instability, but "foreign intervention
won't help Libya get out of chaos."
The strikes happened as Islamist-backed militias were engaged in ongoing
fighting for control of the Tripoli airport. They occurred on two days
in the last week.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri called reports of an Egyptian role "unsubstantiated rumors."
"We have no direct connection to any of the military operations on the ground in Libya," he said.
But Egypt has been closely involved in Libya's ongoing contest for power
for several months, according to several Egyptian officials. They said
the effort began with intelligence collection about training camps,
hideouts and barracks for extremist groups in the east such as Ansar
al-Shariah, which the U.S. blames for the 2012 attack on its diplomatic
facility in Benghazi.
That operation included an Egyptian elite force called "Rapid
Intervention," which was formed by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to
combat terrorism inside and outside Egypt.
Officials with knowledge of the operations say Egypt has been working
with Saudi, Emirati and Libyan military officials to support Hifter's
counteroffensive. They weren't authorized to speak publicly about the
covert efforts and demanded anonymity. An American citizen who serves as
a spokesman for the general, David Anthony LeVeque, confirmed that
Egypt was assisting the fight against extremist Islamist factions. He
said the Islamists were getting arms from Qatar.
Three years ago, the Emirates and Gulf neighbor Qatar played the most
prominent Arab roles in the military intervention that led to Gadhafi's
ouster. Both sent warplanes as part of the NATO-led effort. Qatar in
particular supplied weapons to rebels.
But the two countries, both important U.S. allies, are in opposing camps
now, jostling for influence in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings.
———
Michael reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Adam Schreck in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sarah El Deeb and Jon Gambrell in Cairo,
and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.
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