CIA Asset Named as Top "General" in Neo-Colonial Libya
December 18, 2014
Libya’s imperialist installed and recognized parliament is set to promote a longtime Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) asset, Khalifa Haftar, to the rank of full general within the next few days, making him the highest-ranking rebel army officer in the North African country.
“As of now we will request from all media outlets to use the term ‘general’ to refer to Haftar in the news,” a member of Libya’s Western-backed cabinet headed by PM Abdullah Al-Thani, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Earlier this week an unidentified senior Libyan rebel leader said that the Tobruk-based parliament intended to appoint Haftar as the country’s military commander-in-chief. The minister refused to give further details, saying briefly: “Later, Haftar will be appointed to a senior military position.”
Haftar has emerged once again as a significant figure in war-torn Libya since he launched a military campaign, dubbed “Operation Dignity,” against Islamist militias in the eastern city of Benghazi in May.
The rebel leader was formerly a senior officer in the Libyan Army under the martyred revolutionary leader Muammar Gaddafi when he defected in neighboring Chad. He went into exile in the US in the 1980s for three decades. After the CIA-Pentagon-NATO war of regime-change began in early 2011 he was deployed to take up a senior rank in the fragmented counter-revolutionaries that served as ground forces in the imperialist-backed overthrew Gaddafi.
As the country descended into chaos, Haftar was accused of attempting a military coup by ordering the transitional government, the General National Congress (GNC), to dissolve when it attempted to extend its term in office in February. In May, his rebel forces stormed the Libyan parliament in Tripoli, leading to violent clashes with pro-GNC militias.
Libya currently has two rival regimes, one based in Tobruk and recognized by imperialism, and a rival Islamist-backed body based in Tripoli composed of members of the former GNC.
Thani’s Tobruk government, which was expelled from Tripoli after the city and its airport were seized by Islamist-linked militias, recently endorsed Haftar and his anti-Islamist campaign as the Tobruk government continues to struggle against its rivals in Tripoli.
In other news, the former Libyan rebel chief-of-staff, Abdulsalam Al-Obaidi, has announced plans to form a joint operations room to oversee military operations across the country, while pledging to stay above the struggle between Tripoli and Tobruk.
Obaidi commands the elements of Libya’s imperialist-endorsed militias that declined to follow Haftar.
In a press conference he held in Tripoli, Obaidi said the unit will be headed by Gen. Mohammed Al-Ashtar and will include militias affiliated with the Libyan rebel general staff, commanders from the Libya Shield militias and representatives of government departments.
Obaidi said the Libyan rebel general staff seeks to remain neutral in the conflict between the country’s rival power centers, and that its main task included securing citizens, borders, air and sea ports, and institutions vital to maintaining state authority.
The official said the rebel general staff has called on representatives of the country’s various armed groups to form negotiation teams and engage in dialogue with the GNC and the government headed by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Omar Al-Hassi in an attempt to resolve outstanding political issues.
Also in Libya, the UN mission to the country said on Wednesday it received positive responses from Libya’s factions regarding its call to hold a second round of talks aimed at healing the rift between them.
The international body said it was holding a fresh round of talks this week, but stopped short of giving details about time and place.
On the ground, the Libyan rebel forces under the command of the regime in Tobruk carried out three airstrikes on Islamist positions in the city of Gharyan, south of Tripoli, on Wednesday.
In late November, Libyan rebel forces began an aerial campaign against Islamist-affiliated groups in Tripoli, Zuwarah and Zawiya, cities where the Islamist Libya Dawn militia has established a strong presence.
Libya’s imperialist installed and recognized parliament is set to promote a longtime Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) asset, Khalifa Haftar, to the rank of full general within the next few days, making him the highest-ranking rebel army officer in the North African country.
“As of now we will request from all media outlets to use the term ‘general’ to refer to Haftar in the news,” a member of Libya’s Western-backed cabinet headed by PM Abdullah Al-Thani, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Earlier this week an unidentified senior Libyan rebel leader said that the Tobruk-based parliament intended to appoint Haftar as the country’s military commander-in-chief. The minister refused to give further details, saying briefly: “Later, Haftar will be appointed to a senior military position.”
Haftar has emerged once again as a significant figure in war-torn Libya since he launched a military campaign, dubbed “Operation Dignity,” against Islamist militias in the eastern city of Benghazi in May.
The rebel leader was formerly a senior officer in the Libyan Army under the martyred revolutionary leader Muammar Gaddafi when he defected in neighboring Chad. He went into exile in the US in the 1980s for three decades. After the CIA-Pentagon-NATO war of regime-change began in early 2011 he was deployed to take up a senior rank in the fragmented counter-revolutionaries that served as ground forces in the imperialist-backed overthrew Gaddafi.
As the country descended into chaos, Haftar was accused of attempting a military coup by ordering the transitional government, the General National Congress (GNC), to dissolve when it attempted to extend its term in office in February. In May, his rebel forces stormed the Libyan parliament in Tripoli, leading to violent clashes with pro-GNC militias.
Libya currently has two rival regimes, one based in Tobruk and recognized by imperialism, and a rival Islamist-backed body based in Tripoli composed of members of the former GNC.
Thani’s Tobruk government, which was expelled from Tripoli after the city and its airport were seized by Islamist-linked militias, recently endorsed Haftar and his anti-Islamist campaign as the Tobruk government continues to struggle against its rivals in Tripoli.
In other news, the former Libyan rebel chief-of-staff, Abdulsalam Al-Obaidi, has announced plans to form a joint operations room to oversee military operations across the country, while pledging to stay above the struggle between Tripoli and Tobruk.
Obaidi commands the elements of Libya’s imperialist-endorsed militias that declined to follow Haftar.
In a press conference he held in Tripoli, Obaidi said the unit will be headed by Gen. Mohammed Al-Ashtar and will include militias affiliated with the Libyan rebel general staff, commanders from the Libya Shield militias and representatives of government departments.
Obaidi said the Libyan rebel general staff seeks to remain neutral in the conflict between the country’s rival power centers, and that its main task included securing citizens, borders, air and sea ports, and institutions vital to maintaining state authority.
The official said the rebel general staff has called on representatives of the country’s various armed groups to form negotiation teams and engage in dialogue with the GNC and the government headed by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Omar Al-Hassi in an attempt to resolve outstanding political issues.
Also in Libya, the UN mission to the country said on Wednesday it received positive responses from Libya’s factions regarding its call to hold a second round of talks aimed at healing the rift between them.
The international body said it was holding a fresh round of talks this week, but stopped short of giving details about time and place.
On the ground, the Libyan rebel forces under the command of the regime in Tobruk carried out three airstrikes on Islamist positions in the city of Gharyan, south of Tripoli, on Wednesday.
In late November, Libyan rebel forces began an aerial campaign against Islamist-affiliated groups in Tripoli, Zuwarah and Zawiya, cities where the Islamist Libya Dawn militia has established a strong presence.
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