| New York Times | - |
In Libya,
the Islamic State captured a critical power plant along the coastal
road westward from its stronghold in Surt toward Misurata, a commercial
center whose powerful militias are the backbone of a coalition that
controls the capital, Tripoli.
CAIRO
— Islamic State militants staged attacks near Baghdad and the Libyan
city of Surt on Tuesday, underscoring the group’s persistent strength on
both fronts despite a monthslong American-led air campaign against it
in Syria and Iraq.
In
Libya, the Islamic State captured a critical power plant along the
coastal road westward from its stronghold in Surt toward Misurata, a
commercial center whose powerful militias are the backbone of a
coalition that controls the capital, Tripoli. The loss was the second
significant retreat in less than two weeks by the Misuratan militia,
which the provisional government in Tripoli had originally sent to expel
the Islamic State from Surt.
In
Iraq, two gunmen wearing suicide vests attacked a local council
building in Amariya al Falluja, a bold incursion into the center of a
city about 37 miles southwest of Baghdad. The city is one of the last
bastions of government control in Anbar Province after Islamic State
militants captured the major city of Ramadi three weeks ago, and Iraqi
troops have been battling against the militants on the outskirts of
Amariya al Falluja for months.
The extremist group, also known as ISIS
or ISIL, is still gaining ground in both countries by filling vacuums
created by political deadlock. In Iraq, the Shiite-dominated government
in Baghdad has failed to provide convincing evidence of its commitment
to equal justice for members of the Sunni minority, spurring sympathy
for the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State, while years of corruption
and nepotism have hollowed out the armed forces.
In
Libya, two competing militia factions — each with its own government —
remain so preoccupied by their conflict that they are putting up little
resistance to the Islamic State’s advances. Neither faction has provided
an alternative model of effective or responsive governance.
In
both countries, the United States and other Western powers are
struggling to find effective partners to help engage the Islamic State,
or even contain it.
Areas where ISIS can operate
Area of
detail
IRAQ
Most of Ramadi
was taken by ISIS
on May 17.
ISIS took control
of Falluja in
January 2014.
Hit
Karma
Baghdad
80 miles
60
40
20
Two militants attacked a
local government office in
Amariyat al Falluja on June 9.
In
Libya, the capture of the power plant means the Islamic State can
threaten to cut off electricity to parts of the central and western
regions of the country.
Less
than two weeks have passed since the group’s last big advance: It
captured the badly damaged airport on the outskirts of Surt and a water
utility plant that the Misuratan militia had been using as a base.
Leaders
of the militia had said at the time of that retreat that they were
pulling back to the power plant on the road toward Misurata in order to
defend it after other fighters there had pulled out, complaining that
they had not been paid.
Obama's Evolution on ISIS
Some of of President Obama’s statements about the
American strategy to confront ISIS and its effectiveness.
In
a statement posed on Facebook on Tuesday, the militia — known as
Brigade 166 — said that it had been forced to retreat again after losing
five fighters in an early morning attack by the Islamic State
militants, and it blamed the Tripoli government.
“Up
until now, the 166 brigade has not received any support from the
general staff of the army,” the statement said, referring to the “army”
of the provisional government in Tripoli.
The
Tripoli government “will have to dispatch a force as soon as possible,”
the statement continued. “Until then we are going to be powerless.”
Graphic
How ISIS Expands
The Islamic State aims to build a broad colonial empire across many countries.
The
Misurata-dominated provisional government in Tripoli is locked in a
power struggle with a rival military leader, Gen. Khalifa Hifter; he has
the backing of the internationally recognized government, based in the
eastern cities of Tobruk and Bayda.
While
the factions have battled each other, extremists pledging allegiance to
the Islamic State have established a growing presence on the Libyan
shores of the Mediterranean even as they have come under attack in Syria
and Iraq. A faction of the Islamist fighters in the eastern city of
Darnah has pledged allegiance to the group, and so has a group in the
southern desert region.
A
third unit of Islamic State fighters has captured Surt, the hometown
and birthplace of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and it has become the Islamic
State’s most significant Libyan foothold. The group has established
full control of the center of the city since at least the beginning of
the year, and militants acting in the name of the Islamic State have
staged attacks on Misurata forces, as well as a mass shooting at a
luxury hotel in Tripoli and less lethal attacks on embassies and
government buildings.
Graphic
ISIS Finances Are Strong
ISIS has more than enough in its coffers despite
expectations that airstrikes and falling oil prices would hurt the
group.
United
Nations diplomats have been working for six months to negotiate the
formation of a unity government that would bring together Libya’s two
rival factions, in part to more effectively counter the Islamic State’s
expansion.
The
diplomats leading the effort released what they called a final draft of
a unity proposal late Monday night. On Tuesday, representatives of both
sides who had helped negotiate the deal traveled to Berlin to present
it to the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council,
diplomats with them said. The Security Council is expected to provide
support for the proposed unity government as it attempts to stabilize
the country.
Western
diplomats hope that the deal will bring together moderates from both
sides to fight against hard-liners in each camp, as well as the Islamic
State. But it was not clear on Tuesday how much support or opposition
the final proposal might win within the two warring factions.
In
Iraq, the attack on the council building in Amariya al Falluja on
Tuesday underscored the Islamic State’s sustained ability to strike even
inside tightly controlled government territory.
Two
Islamic State gunmen wearing police uniforms and suicide vests opened
fire during a meeting of local sheikhs, according to Shaker al-Issawi,
the head of the council. The gunmen killed two civilians and two police
officers before Mr. Issawi’s bodyguards shot and killed the attackers,
Mr. Issawi said.
Mr.
Issawi added that the authorities believed that the gunmen had been
hiding among the thousands of displaced Sunni Muslims from Anbar
Province who had been sheltering in Amariya al Falluja.
Mr. Issawi’s assertion that displaced Sunnis were responsible threatened to further inflame local sectarian tensions.
No comments:
Post a Comment