http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/those-independent-militias/
Those independent militias<http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/those-independent-militias/> Filed under: Libya <http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/category/libya/> louisproyect @ 12:47 pm The Economist <http://www.economist.com/node/21526958> The rebellions leaders Good intentions, fragile legitimacy The new Libya is in the hands of a largely self-selected bunch of civilians and fighters who have done pretty well so far. What comes next is a lot hazier Aug 27th 2011 | *Benghazi* | from the print edition *Those independent militias* The NTC may be less able to restrain its fighters once the threat from Colonel Qaddafi is removed. Much of the rebel manpower is grouped into 40-plus privately organised, privately funded militias known as *katibas*(brigades). Each *katiba* is usually drawn from one town, commanded by a respected local military veteran or, in some cases, by the businessman who financed it. They drive privately owned pickups or jeeps with mounted anti-tank or anti-aircraft guns, captured from government arsenals or supplied by foreign benefactors. Members are enthusiastic but usually have only cursory training and very little sense of military discipline, often commuting to the front from their homes. *Katiba *leaders say that they meet the NTCs more formalised military wing in an operations room to plan battles, but decisions appear to be arrived at by consensus rather than through any military chain of command. Relations between the NTC and the *katibas* were brought to crisis point by the assassination on July 28th of Abdel Fatah Younis, a defecting general who became the NTCs top military commander and may have wanted to bring the militias under centralised control. The circumstances surrounding the killing have yet to be explained. NTC judges had issued an arrest warrant for General Younis on suspicion that he had made unauthorised contact with Colonel Qaddafi, but the killers themselves are reported to have been rogue *katiba* fighters with a personal vendetta against the one-time Qaddafi loyalist. They may have been members of the Abu Ubeidah Ibn al-Jarrah brigade, said to be a force of former political prisoners, some of them radical Islamists. After Youniss death, the brigade was reportedly dissolved, and the NTC has turned him into a martyr, standing for proper military discipline. Posters of the confident, neatly uniformed general smilingly greet motorists on several of Benghazis main streets. In the aftermath of Youniss assassination, *katiba* members swear that they answer to the orders of the NTC. We all have the same goal. We all want to end this, says Muftah Barrati, a senior official at the camp of one of Benghazis largest *katibas*, the 17 February Martyrs Brigade. When this is complete, we all will return to our jobs. He himself was a financial manager for the computer company of Mustafa Sigizli, a businessman who helped set up the brigade. Rebels, with no former jobs to return to, may be given the option of joining a national army. However, it would be a rare rebel force that did not derive some sense of entitlement from the sacrifices made during a hard-fought war, and the * katibas* still brush off requests by NTC officials to place themselves under the authority of a unified command. Based on the barrages of celebratory gunfire in Benghazi that erupt nightly to mark weddings, funerals or good news from the front, *katiba* members enjoy owning automatic weapons and would be reluctant to give them up. Council members say that they know they would have more authority were they an elected body. They have thus opted for a fairly swift transitional period. The fall of Tripoli, when it is fully established, will set off an eight-month countdown to provisional elections. Some say this timetable is too short for a country with no experience of even single-party politics, let alone of genuine democracy. A group of protesters holding a sit-in outside NTC headquarters last week said that they suspected senior council leaders of having cut a deal with a handful of Libyan political groups, such as the Muslim Brothers and the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, a long-established exile group. The experienced groups, complained the protesters, had an unfair advantage in knowing how to campaign and win votes. Comments (8)<http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/those-independent-militias/#comments> August 29, 2011 Who really beat Qaddafi?<http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/who-really-beat-qaddafi/> Filed under: Libya <http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/category/libya/> louisproyect @ 11:05 pm Sat Aug 27, 2011 at 08:30 AM PDT Who really beat Qaddafi?<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/27/1010769/-Who-really-beat-Qaddafi> by Clay Claiborne <http://www.dailykos.com/user/Clay%20Claiborne> [image: Follow clayclai on Twitter] <http://www.twitter.com/clayclai> Now that it is clear that the 42 year reign of Mummar Qaddafi has come to an end and there is little left to do on the military side beyond putting down a few pockets of pro-Qaddafi resistance, the question of bragging rights to this victory seems to be coming to the fore in certain western circles. NATO and its allies are looking to increase their influence in Libya so they can cash-in on post Qaddafi developments. Although they never managed to get boots on the ground during the conflict as NATO would have liked, they still hope to fulfill that dream<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/24/1009976/-What-should-those-that-opposed-NATOs-intervention-in-Libya-demand-now?via=history>, via some *peace keeping* or *stabilization* mechanism. Regardless of whether they are successful in that quest, they will be peddling their influence in a hundred other ways. In preparation for that, they are now trying to take credit for the victory over Qaddafi in subtle ways that will allow them to take ownership of it in the public mind. Typical of the way they do that is the story that has been circulating in the media in the past few days about a group of British SAS on the ground in Libya. An example is this one in the Telegraph<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8721291/Libya-SAS-leads-hunt-for-Gaddafi.html>24 Aug 2011: *Libya: SAS leads hunt for Gaddafi * British special forces are on the ground in Libya helping to spearhead the hunt for Col Muammar Gaddafi, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.For the first time, defence sources have confirmed that the SAS has been in Libya for several weeks, and played a key role in coordinating the fall of Tripoli. With the majority of the capital now in rebel hands, the SAS soldiers, who have been dressed in Arab civilian clothing and carrying the same weapons as the rebels, have been ordered to switch their focus to the search for Gaddafi, who has been on the run since his fortified headquarters was captured on Tuesday. I dont want to address the question of whether or not this is true. Even if the SAS were there, they can hardly take credit for this brilliant victory, a *key role* could be anything. That could mean communications and intelligence and it almost certainly meant supporting the sea assault by Thuwwar from Misrata, but trying to imply that a handful western special force Rambo types, who suffered no causalities as far as we know, are the real authors and heroes of this victory is to take credit were it is not due. The campaign that routed Qaddafis Tripoli defenses in a few days was masterful! First there were the coordinated campaigns in the west coming down from the Nafusah Mountains and from in the east, west of Misrata, then the convergence on Tripoli via three major roads, from the west, east and south, together with an amphibious landing of a brigade from Misrata and the uprising by secret forces already in Tripoli. It was a brilliant victory. It showed great unity and coordination by freedom fighters from separate parts of Libya and the leadership of their command staff in spite of the assassination of their chief of staff, most likely by Qaddafi agents, only weeks before. It will go down in military history as a classic victory. The idea that the authors of this were some westerners who just parachuted in and not the people who lived Qaddafis nightmare for 40 years and have been fighting it for the last 6 months is ridiculous. Those most likely to believe it are those that have some misconceptions about the supremacy of western special forces and the inferiority of Arabs. The Libyans are the ones that have been fighting in these lands since before the Romans. They know the lay of the land and they knew the rising capabilities of their people. The only thing they could never be sure of was NATO, which was MIA for the early parts of the campaigns around both Misrata and the Nafusah Mountains and bombed the wrong armies too many times. Why do the British feel the need to resurrect the *Lawrence of Arabia* mythology to try to snatch credit for this win from the revolutionary Libyan people? full article: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/27/1010769/-Who-really-beat-Qaddafi Comments (10)<http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/who-really-beat-qaddafi/#comments> Victim of CIA extraordinary rendition is now commander in Tripoli<http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/abdul-hakim-belhadj-military-leader-in-tripoli-and-victim-of-illegal-american-rendition/> Filed under: Libya <http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/category/libya/> louisproyect @ 6:55 pm Abdul Hakim Belhadj: Military Leader in Tripoli and Victim of illegal American Rendition<http://www.newcivilisation.com/home/middle-east/abdul-hakim-belhadj-military-leader-in-tripoli-and-victim-of-illegal-american-rendition> Headline <http://www.newcivilisation.com/home/category/headline> International Affairs <http://www.newcivilisation.com/home/category/international-affairs> Middle East <http://www.newcivilisation.com/home/category/middle-east> 28 August 2011 The military commander who led the revolutionary forces into Tripoli, and took the iconic *bab al-azizziya *was Abdul Hakim Belhadj (alternatively spelled AbdelHakim Belhaj). He is now the military leader in Tripoli, who on the night of liberation drew parallels between the fight in Tripoli and the conquest of Mecca<http://www.newcivilisation.com/home/middle-east/the-conquest-of-tripoli>while surrounded by several others celebrating around him. He has since held more formal press conferences where he outlined the objectives of uniting the military factions in Tripoli under a single command, taking weapons out of the hands of militias, as well as rejecting the existence of any extremists within the ranks of the revolutionary army. Abdul Hakim Belhadj (also known as Abdullah al-Sadiq) was also previously the leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) which fought against the Gaddafi regime for more than a decade. According to a piece written by Nawaf al-Qudaimi<http://www.alasr.ws/index.cfm?method=home.con&contentid=11987>, he had fought in Afghanistan from 1988, but returned to Libya in 1994. After confrontation with the Gaddafi regime which led to the killing of the then leader of the group Abdul Rahman al-Hattab, Belhadj managed to leave Libya and returned to Afghanistan in 1995. Upon his return to Afghanistan he was with the group of Libyan fighters which refused to join with Osama Bin Ladens al-Qaida movement. This group included several other leading figures from the LIFG, whom subsequently elected Belhadj as the leader of the movement. As a result of the 9/11 attacks this group left Afghanistan and dispersed amongst several countries, with Belhadj ending up in Malaysia where he was detained and transferred for interrogation* in Thailand by American forces during a period when numerous other personalities were also similarly detained and questioned. Once the Americans realised that the group had no connection to Bin Ladens al-Qaeda, they were instead rendered to the Libyan regime of Moammar Gaddafi (rather than Guantanamo) in the same year where they ended up in the notorious Abu Salim prison in Tripoli<http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/346>. This is of no surprise since Western intelligence agencies (of the same nations now supporting the revolution) praise the information they received<http://www.hmforces.co.uk/news/articles/6643-from-tripoli-to-surrey---the-long-escape-route-from-gaddafis-regime>from the Libyan regime regarding Islamic opposition and so were not adverse to delivering them any Libyans they kidnapped from elsewhere. In 2008 Saif al-Islam initiated and and convened a set of meetings between the Libyan regime and its facilitators including Ali al-Salabi (a leading Islamic scholar in Libya who lent support to the Libyan uprising from the start) and Noman Benotman (a former member of the LIFG who was reportedly expelled from the movement in 2002 due to suspicions of his activities whilst in London and of links with the Libyan regime<http://www.libya-watanona.com/letters/v2007a/v02apr7j.htm>, and has since become another in a long line of self-styled analysts of Islamic movements that apparently embellish accounts of their past experiences to burnish their credentials) on the one hand with the leaders of the LIFG on the other. The meetings resulted in the renouncement of certain ideas which were published in a book entitled *Corrective Studies on the Doctrine of Jihad, Hesba, and Rulings* (available online in Arabic) which sought to dispel amongst other things the notion that the killings of civilians was in any way Islamically permitted. Given that the groups leaders had previously refused to work with al-Qaeda it appears some of the book was written simply to satisfy the Libyan regimes desire to demonstrate its ability to rehabilitate terrorists<http://carnegieendowment.org/2011/03/09/dangerous-fallout-from-libya-s-implosion/6s9>as part of Saif al-Islams charm offensive in the West, and to end the suffering of its members in jail in exchange. Belhadj and several other members of the LIFG were subsequently released from Abu Salim prison in 2010, and at the beginning of the Libyan uprising he and others from the movement joined the Libyan revolution under the leadership of the National Transitional Council, and has characterised the revolution as a popular uprising involving the whole of Libya. This explains how Belhadj, a victim of the American rendition program, has ended up as the military commander of Tripoli. While other members of the NTC hold press conferences in Qatar, or give warmly received speeches at the Arab league (a collection of representatives from regimes who lack integrity and which enjoys zero credibility on the Arab, or for that matter, any, street), Belhadj has been leading those alongside him forward to the liberation of Tripoli. Though some of the opposition abroad felt betrayed by the groups dialogue with the regime which appeared to endorse it, and it remains to be seen how independent figures such as Belhadj will remain given the diplomatic and financial pressures that are being borne down upon the NTC by NATO, it cannot be doubted that they do represent a legitimate voice from within the society. At this point it is worth reflecting on how this terrorist who was illegally detained, interrogated and then rendered to the Libyans (and no doubt subsequently tortured by them) is now considered by some as the hero of the revolution <http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=26357> in the context that this uprising has been military backed and now feted by both politicians and media which further highlights what was discussed on these pages recently that the politics of terrorism, laws relating to terrorism and media coverage on terrorism is all based exclusively on the political agenda and one in which Western interests drive the language used<http://www.newcivilisation.com/home/middle-east/libya-western-interests-and-the-politics-of-hypocrisy> . The reality is that Belhadj is one of the most authentic faces of the Libyan revolution. His opposition to the Gaddafi regime began more than 20 years ago, and unlike several of the NTC members who up until and beyond the start of the uprisings were either members of the regime themselves or living far away in the West, he has been at the forefront of the struggle both literally and figuratively. This is not to dismiss the role of others but rather to emphasis that it will be natural for people to look to those such as Belhadj as their leadership who sacrificed with them against Gaddafi on the front lines. When he states that there is no extremism in the ranks of the revolutionaries he means those who would sanction the killing of civilians for political goals (something which America and her NATO allies would not be able to honestly claim for themselves), and not the British government definition which labels anyone who believes in the application of Islamic *Sharia* law and the establishment of a State to apply them as an extremist. There is little doubt that according to Western understanding Belhadj along with many others in Libya and beyond in both Tunisia and Egypt would be considered extreme, an indictment of the Wests rhetoric and policy towards Islam and Islamic revival. This further exposes the simplistic narrative regarding Islam, Islamic movements, and so-called Jihadi movements. The lack of differentiation between the mostly irredentist groups who sought to overthrow their governments (almost invariably one form or another of unaccountable oppressive police states) whether in Egypt, Libya or elsewhere and al-Qaida, is inaccurate but expected from both the American government and its allies in the Arab world and beyond. Post 9/11 the rhetoric of the War (of) Terror has been used to justify all manner of abuses against a spectrum of opposition in order to maintain the status quo which served the US strategic interests in the region. This conflation has gone beyond even groups which took up arms against the state, to include any Islamic opposition. Hence support for a roll call of dictators from Karimov, Mubarak, Abdullah, Hussain and Gaddafi was a given up until the beginning of this year when events of the ground have forced the hand of the West to try their best to back the winning horses to maintain some form of control over the forthcoming changes to the political setup<http://www.newcivilisation.com/home/middle-east/re-visiting-the-arab-sprin>. As events develop in Syria and elsewhere, it is questionable how long the ever sliding grip will be able to maintain its grasp. * UPDATE According to a Human Rights Watch report<http://www.scribd.com/doc/56707491/37/Abdelhakim-Al-Khoweildy>, he explicitly claims to have been tortured by the CIA themselves in Thailand *Reza Pankhurst is a regular contributor<http://www.newcivilisation.com/home/contributors> to New Civilisation. He has a PhD from the London School of Economics Government department, and also blogs at rezapankhurst.net.* Comments (4)<http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/abdul-hakim-belhadj-military-leader-in-tripoli-and-victim-of-illegal-american-rendition/#comments> Misrata rebels defy anti-imperialist analysis<http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/misrata-rebels-defy-anti-imperialist-analysis/> Filed under: Libya <http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/category/libya/> louisproyect @ 2:14 pm Misrata rebels defy Libyas new regime<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/29/misrata-rebels-defy-libya-regime> City refuses to accept appointment by National Transitional Council of former Gaddafi ally as Tripoli security chief - Chris Stephen <http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/chris-stephen> in Misrata - guardian.co.uk <http://www.guardian.co.uk/>, Monday 29 August 2011 09.40 BST [image: Misratans protest] Misratans protest against the National Transition Council decision. The placard reads: Whoever helped kill Libyans will never lead us, even with one word. Photograph: Irina Kalashnikova The first cracks in Libya <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/libya>s rebel coalition have opened, with protests erupting in Misrata against the reported decision of the National Transitional Council (NTC) to appoint a former Gaddafi henchman as security boss of Tripoli. Media reports said the NTC prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, is poised to appoint Albarrani Shkal, a former army general, as the capitals head of security. Protests erupted in the early hours of the morning in Misratas Martyrs Square, with about 500 protesters shouting that the blood of the martyrs would be betrayed by the appointment. Misratas ruling council lodged a formal protest with the NTC, saying that if the appointment were confirmed Misratan rebel units deployed on security duties in Tripoli would refuse to follow NTC orders. Misratans blame Shkal for commanding units that battered their way into this city in the spring, terrorising and murdering civilians. NTC sources say Shkal, formerly a key confidant of Muammar Gaddafi<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/muammar-gaddafi>, turned rebel informer in May, passing valuable information back to the rebel capital, Benghazi. But Misratans believe that prior to that, he was operations officer for the 32nd brigade, whose overall commander is Gaddafis son Khamis. The brigade took the leading role in a siege that saw tanks and artillery bombard residential areas of the city, murdering several hundred civilians. Shouting above anti-Jabril chanting and volleys of gunfire being fired into the air, one protester, Mohammed Zubia, said many people were shocked by the news. He said: Mr Jabril says he wants to include all people who worked for Gaddafi but how can we accept that? We need new blood. Mr Jabril, whose NTC executive installed itself in Tripoli over the weekend, says he wants to build an inclusive administration. He appears to have the tacit support of London, with the defence secretary, Liam Fox<http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/liamfox>, telling al-Jazeera it was important the NTC avoided excluding members of the former regime. London is believed to be keen to avoid a rerun of Iraq, where a de-Baathification programme saw the ruling administration removed and chaos follow the US-led invasion in 2003. But Misratans say allowing Gaddafi regime officials to take key security jobs is not the answer. I cant see any justication for [it] whatsoever, said Hassan al-Amin, who returned to the town after 28 years exile spent in the UK. We have a big force in Tripoli. They are not going to follow orders from a war criminal. The president of Misratas council, Sheikh Khalifa Zuwawi, said Misratan rebel troops controlling many strategic points across Tripoli may refuse to obey NTC orders. I think all the Libyan *thwar* [revolutionary fighters] will not obey his [Shkal's] orders, not just those from Misrata, Zuwawi told the Guardian. Shkal is with Gaddafi. Not long ago he was using troops to shell people in Misrata. Mahmoud Jibril cannot do it just by himself: it is against the people. Behind the protests is a wider grudge between Misratans and the NTC, which many accuse of representing Benghazi rather than Libyans as a whole. Misratas military council continues to refuse to follow orders from NTC army commanders, and some rebels complain that Misratas units and those from the Nafua mountains, to the west, have not been recognised as having been the key to the fall of Tripoli. We wont follow his [Shkal's] orders, no, said Walid Tenasil, a Misratan fighter returning to garrison duty in Tripoli. Our message to the NTC is: just remember the blood. That is it. Misratas protests pose a potential security problem for the NTC because it has come to rely on Misratan rebel units holding strategic points in the capital. 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