Daesh has doubled its number of fighters in Libya in the past several months, the top U.S. general in Africa said Thursday.
“The U.S. intelligence community has said it's around 4,000 to 6,000 thousand. It is probably about doubled in the last 12 to 18 months based on what their assessments were last year,” Army Gen. David Rodriguez told reporters.
A previous estimate by the U.S. military was approximately 1,000 to 3,000 fighters. Rodriguez said the growing number of fighters stems from not only a flow of foreign fighters within or out of Africa but also small militia groups in Libya that are pledging allegiance to the terrorist group.
The rise of Daesh in Libya is a significant challenge to the fragile interim unity government there that is grappling with ongoing fighting among tribal militias, according to Rodriguez.
He also warned that Daesh would worsen the refugee influx in Tunisia and Europe.
“I think the biggest and worst threat they are, you know, providing to the neighbors is really to Tunisia first. That's the biggest one. Then followed up the European threats,” he said.
[Kasim Ileri -www.aa.com.tr]
7/4/16
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Related:
“The U.S. intelligence community has said it's around 4,000 to 6,000 thousand. It is probably about doubled in the last 12 to 18 months based on what their assessments were last year,” Army Gen. David Rodriguez told reporters.
A previous estimate by the U.S. military was approximately 1,000 to 3,000 fighters. Rodriguez said the growing number of fighters stems from not only a flow of foreign fighters within or out of Africa but also small militia groups in Libya that are pledging allegiance to the terrorist group.
- He suggested the Pentagon would carry out strikes in Libya but underscored that anything beyond that is “a decision for the national command authority and leadership.”
The rise of Daesh in Libya is a significant challenge to the fragile interim unity government there that is grappling with ongoing fighting among tribal militias, according to Rodriguez.
He also warned that Daesh would worsen the refugee influx in Tunisia and Europe.
“I think the biggest and worst threat they are, you know, providing to the neighbors is really to Tunisia first. That's the biggest one. Then followed up the European threats,” he said.
[Kasim Ileri -www.aa.com.tr]
7/4/16
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L'Etat islamique reste contenu en Libye, selon l'armée américaine...
ReplyDeleteLe groupe Etat islamique ne semble pas près de réussir à s'implanter en Libye comme il l'a fait en Syrie ou en Irak, restant perçu par les Libyens comme une force étrangère, a estimé jeudi le chef des forces armées américaines en Afrique."Il est beaucoup plus difficile" pour les djihadistes de l'EI de s'implanter en Libye que cela ne l'a été en Syrie, a indiqué le général Rodriguez devant la presse au Pentagone.
"Il est possible" que les djihadistes parviennent un jour à contrôler une portion substantielle de territoire libyen, "mais pour l'instant ce n'est pas mon inquiétude", a dit le général. Pour lui, les djihadistes ultra-radicaux "ne disposent pas de combattants locaux connaissant bien le pays" comme c'était le cas en Irak et en Syrie.
De "4 à 6000 combattants" de l'EI en Libye
Et les différentes milices libyennes n'aiment pas l'ingérence étrangère, a-t-il poursuivi. La Libye compte, selon le général Rodriguez, de "4 à 6000 combattants" de l'EI, une présence qui a "doublé" sur les 18 derniers mois.
Livrée aux milices depuis la chute de Mouammar Kadhafi en 2011, le pays riche en pétrole a sombré encore un peu plus dans le chaos quand les autorités de Tripoli ont commencé à se disputer le pouvoir en 2014 avec des groupes armés qu'elles avaient chassés de la capitale.
Les djihadistes de l'EI ont profité de ces divisions pour s'implanter dans le pays où il contrôle Syrte (450 km à l'est de Tripoli) et a tenté une expansion vers d'autres villes.
rtbf.be
8/4/16