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Al Qaeda's Libya Pilgrimage
by Sami Yousafzai
& Ron Moreau
March 30, 2011 | 1:34pm
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-30/al-qaedas-libya-pilgrimage/p/
As debate rages in Washington over whether to arm anti-Gaddafi rebels, an exclusive report by The Daily Beast indicates al Qaeda forces are gearing up to join the rebels and seize power in Libya.
As the battle for the future of Libya continues, the excitement is almost palpable among Libyan-born al Qaeda fighters and other Arabs hunkered down in Pakistan's remote and lawless tribal area. According to Afghan Taliban sources close to Osama bin Laden's terrorist group, some of the 200 or so Libyans operating near the Afghan border may be on their way home to steer the anti-Gaddafi revolution in a more Islamist direction.
Libyan rebels watch conflict on the front line outside of Bin Jawaad, Libya on March 29. (Photo: Anja Niedringhaus / AP Photo)
"We have heard a number of fighters have already departed from the tribal area," says an Afghan commander who is linked to the powerful Haqqani network, a North Waziristan-based organization that shelters many al Qaeda fighters. Others may be on their way. "Libyans and Arabs seem to be getting ready for departure and are eager to go home and fight," says the Afghan source. "I've heard that some fighters are saying goodbye and giving thanks with kind words to their (Pakistani) tribal friends who have been sheltering them."
Since the anti-Gaddafi revolution began last month, al Qaeda—especially Libyan-born affiliates—have viewed the fighting as an opportunity to spread their radical Islamist ideology. Indeed, as one Afghan Taliban operative who helps facilitate the movement of al Qaeda militants between the tribal area and Pakistani cities told The Daily Beast earlier this month: "This rebellion is the fresh breeze they've been waiting years for. They realize that if they don't use this opportunity, it could be the end of their chances to turn Libya toward a real Islamic state, as Afghanistan once was."
If Yahya is successful in reaching rebel-held territory inside Libya, at least he'll be able to operate with relative freedom, without worrying about Gaddafi's secret police.
Now, as the White House and NATO continue to debate the possible ramifications of arming the Libyan opposition, the Haqqani network-linked Afghan commander says Libyan al Qaeda affiliates seem to be more "enthusiastic" about the war against Gaddafi every day. And from what the Afghan Taliban commander has seen, there appears to be more than "flickers" of al Qaeda's presence in Libya, the description given by NATO commander Admiral James Stavridis. According to the Afghan commander, al Qaeda fighters can't believe their good luck that U.S. and NATO aircraft—the same forces that have dropped bombs on their heads in Afghanistan and Pakistan—are now raining down ordnance against Gaddafi.
So far, Muammar Gaddafi's clumsy efforts to blame al Qaeda for the popular uprising against his dictatorship would be a joke, if only he weren't using that claim as an excuse for mowing down so many Libyans. In fact, it's been many years since Libya has seen significant numbers of radical Islamists—or any other organized opposition, for that matter. Nearly all have been killed, locked up or chased into exile years ago by the regime's secret police and security forces. Although the country's most feared insurgent entity, the al Qaeda-affiliated Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (known in Arabic as Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya), has been seeking to topple Gaddafi since the early 1990s, and up until now, it's been unlikely that more than a handful who pledge allegiance to Osama bin Laden remain inside the country.
Today, along the tribal border region, al Qaeda's thirst for more immediate news has led even top leaders like Abu Yahya al-Libi, a Libyan who serves as the movement's senior Islamist ideologue and bin Laden's head of operations for Afghanistan, to become almost foolhardy. The Afghan commander says that Yahya and some of his countrymen have even risked visiting villagers' houses that have satellite television dishes on the roof to watch the latest Western and Middle Eastern news feeds from Libya. Their movements in public areas could easily expose these high value targets to human and UAV surveillance, and a deadly drone strike.
Over the past few decades, several Libyans have held top roles in al Qaeda. Some traveled to Afghanistan in the 1980s to fight the Soviets and stayed, eventually teaming up with bin Laden after his return from Sudan in 1996. Taliban sources estimate there were some 200 Libyans with bin Laden in Afghanistan at the time of the 9/11 attacks. Since then some of bin Laden's senior-most operational aides have been Libyans. One was Abu Faraj al-Libi, who was captured by Pakistan forces in 2005 and is now a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay; another was Abu Lais al-Libi, his replacement as al Qaeda's third in command, who died in a U.S. Predator attack in 2008. Apart from his hardline sermons and jihadist exhortations that are widely distributed on DVD and posted on jihadist websites, Yahya may be best known for his daring escape along with three other al Qaeda prisoners from the high-security lockup at the American airbase at Bagram in July 2005. Yahya, who is believed to be in his late 40s, is smarter, more charismatic, a more articulate speaker and a more learned Islamic scholar than either Faraj or Lais, according to Afghan Taliban sources.
Whether Yahya himself will return to Libya remains to be seen, but speculation about what he'll do is rife in the tribal area. “What Yahya will do is on the mind and in the words of everyone,” the Taliban commander adds. “But I think he is probably preparing for his next move, contacting mujahideen in Libya and watching the situation in Libya.” Earlier this month, he broke his public silence over the Libyan revolt, issuing a call to arms to his countrymen in a 30-minute video that was posted on al Qaeda-linked Internet sites. He urged Libyans to fight on and kill Gaddafi. "Now it is the turn of Gaddafi [to die] after he made the people of Libya suffer for more than 40 years," he said. "Retreating will mean decades of harsher oppression and greater injustices than what you have endured." He also called for the institution of Islamic law once an Arab nation has cast off its former, Western-supported rulers. Overthrowing these Western-backed Arab regimes, he added, was "a step to reach the goal of every Muslim, which is to make the word of Allah the highest."
Returning to Libya, however, does not guarantee that Yahya or his fellow al Qaeda affiliates will have any success. The long, dangerous trip from Pakistan's tribal areas can take weeks if not months. At least one Taliban source says Yahya made the trip two years ago and returned safely, although no one else seems able to confirm that story. And even if he or other al Qaeda Libyans manage to get home again, the Taliban facilitator says they know they'll have a tough time influencing the largely pro-democracy uprising.
"They know they must tread cautiously, and not push too hard, for too much, too soon," he says. Instead, he says, they expect to take a moderate line at first, while quietly trying to persuade rebel leaders that the preservation of Libyan sovereignty against Western "colonialists" depends on taking an anti-Israeli, anti-American line. Any move toward imposing Islamic sharia law, Yahya's specialty, will have to come later. Still, Taliban sources say, if Yahya is successful in reaching rebel-held territory inside Libya, at least he'll be able to operate with relative freedom, without worrying about Gaddafi's secret police. In the meantime, the betting among the Taliban is that bin Laden may already have found his replacement in the tribal area. "Al Qaeda will not leave this place empty," says the facilitator.
Sami Yousafzai is Newsweek's correspondent in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he has covered militancy, al Qaeda and the Taliban for the magazine since 9/11. He was born in Afghanistan but moved to Pakistan with his family after the Russian invasion in 1979. He began his career as a sports journalist but switched to war reporting in 1997.
Ron Moreau is Newsweek's Afghanistan and Pakistan correspondent and has been covering the region for the magazine the past 10 years. Since he first joined Newsweek during the Vietnam War, he has reported extensively from Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long.
For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.
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Since the anti-Gaddafi revolution began last month, al Qaeda—especially Libyan-born affiliates—have viewed the fighting as an opportunity to spread their radical Islamist ideology. Indeed, as one Afghan Taliban operative who helps facilitate the movement of al Qaeda militants between the tribal area and Pakistani cities told The Daily Beast earlier this month: "This rebellion is the fresh breeze they've been waiting years for. They realize that if they don't use this opportunity, it could be the end of their chances to turn Libya toward a real Islamic state, as Afghanistan once was."
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And obama is sendin CIA to help these people?
Impeach and jail this asshole asap.
And yes - F U C K Y O U whoever still supports obama.
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Since the anti-Gaddafi revolution began last month, al Qaeda—especially Libyan-born affiliates—have viewed the fighting as an opportunity to spread their radical Islamist ideology. Indeed, as one Afghan Taliban operative who helps facilitate the movement of al Qaeda militants between the tribal area and Pakistani cities told The Daily Beast earlier this month: "This rebellion is the fresh breeze they've been waiting years for. They realize that if they don't use this opportunity, it could be the end of their chances to turn Libya toward a real Islamic state, as Afghanistan once was."
________________________ ________________________ ___________
And obama is sendin CIA to help these people?
Impeach and jail this asshole asap.
And yes - F U C K Y O U whoever still supports obama.
wow who would have thought the u.s. have eyes on the ground in libya to access whats going on. are you that naive or just blind by your hatered of obama
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So you are in favor of arming Al Qaeda? nice.
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Are "eye's" on the ground different than "boots", or maybe the CIA doesn't wear boot?
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"We have heard a number of fighters have already departed from the tribal area," says an Afghan commander who is linked to the powerful Haqqani network, a North Waziristan-based organization that shelters many al Qaeda fighters. Others may be on their way. "Libyans and Arabs seem to be getting ready for departure and are eager to go home and fight," says the Afghan source. "I've heard that some fighters are saying goodbye and giving thanks with kind words to their (Pakistani) tribal friends who have been sheltering them."
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Are "eye's" on the ground different than "boots", or maybe the CIA doesn't wear boot?
oh brother,so where do you think we get our intellegence from. ooookkk we know you hate obama but lets have some common sence ::)
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oh brother,so where do you think we get our intellegence from. ooookkk we know you hate obama but lets have some common sence ::)
They said CNN last month. Have things chaged with the bama admn?
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cnn for what ???
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cnn for what ???
Last month they said Obama admn was monitoring CNN for news on the rebels to see who they were.
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and you believed that :D
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and you believed that :D
Good point. I really should know better by now not to trust what the Obam Admn says.
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or better yet what any politician says ;D
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oh brother,so where do you think we get our intellegence from. ooookkk we know you hate obama but lets have some common sence ::)
I am well aware of where the US gets its Intel, I'm just pointing out that the POTUS giving a speech claiming no boots on the ground is a bunch of bull shit, and nothing more than theater for the ignorant. I mean hell they may as well just put a 1000 life size bobble heads as an audience.
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I am well aware of where the US gets its Intel, I'm just pointing out that the POTUS giving a speech claiming no boots on the ground is a bunch of bull shit, and nothing more than theater for the ignorant. I mean hell they may as well just put a 1000 life size bobble heads as an audience.
What do you think your run of the mill obamabot is now? They eat up anything he says, regardess of how untruthful it is.
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What do you think your run of the mill obamabot is now? They eat up anything he says, regardess of how untruthful it is.
Just look at this thread for a good example. Blacken's been trying to rationalize Obama aiding Al Qaeda all week. It's quite pathetic but not surprising given the level of retardation exhibited by this gimmick over time.
(CNN)- During “In the Arena,” Jon Lee Anderson, staff writer for The New Yorker reporting from Benghazi, Libya, tells Eliot Spitzer that the number of opposition fighters on the front lines are fewer than anyone would think and that they are poorly armed and badly trained. Anderson says, “Effective number of fighting men, well under 1,000. Actual soldiers, who are now in the fight, possibly in the very low hundreds on the opposition side.”
http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/31/jon-lee-anderson-libyan-opposition-has-under-1000-fighting-men/
LOL! We're helping a few hundred people try to topple a dictator. ::)
And the funniest part is that, should they end up as a democracy, the odds are Gadhafi's son will win a general election. Hahahah! The Obama regime didn't think this through.
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hey mommy's boy you home for lunch.did mommy make you a grill cheese sandwich and a glass of milk.and don't forget the cookies to go, ed
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Hahaha, how badly am I in this kid's head?
Way to "own" me with an incoherent mass of garble that accomplished nothing more than showing your lack of an education. :D :D :D :D
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how old are you and you still live at home with your mother :D now thats priceless
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Hahaha, now this uneducated, jobless, welfare-leeching degenerate who lives in mommy's basement is furiously smashing f5 waiting for my responses.
I'm in your head. :D :D :D :D
Might as well log onto whork25 and start backing yourself up, dork.
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how old are you and you still live at home with your mother :D now thats priceless
So in other words - you are lost on this topic? Correct? Whats the problem? Cant find any clps from DU on the left hand side the page to rip off?
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333386 to the rescue, i know you two don't have girlfriends so my next question is are you seeing each other
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So in other words - you are lost on this topic? Correct? Whats the problem? Cant find any clps from DU on the left hand side the page to rip off?
He's too fucking stupid to actually debate anything on this board. Hence why 99% of his posts consist of personal insults and youtube clips ripped off DU. He tried to argue that there was little to no AQ presence in Libya and now it becomes more and more apparent that he was talking out of his ass (as usual).
In short, he's your typical lower-class democrat benefit leech.
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He's too fucking stupid to actually debate anything on this board. Hence why 99% of his posts consist of personal insults and youtube clips ripped off DU. He tried to argue that there was little to no AQ presence in Libya and now it becomes more and more apparent that he was talking out of his ass (as usual).
In short, he's your typical lower-class democrat benefit leech.
Problem is that if he posts anything remotely coherent, its easily found out to be ripped off another poster at DU or HP. James busted him twice on that awhile ago.
So we either get DU clips or rambling gibberish. For my $ $, itwould be better if he stole others' posts and just gave attribution.
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haha ed, kiss your mommy and go back to work, and when you go out on your own then feel free to comment ;D
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Problem is that if he posts anything remotely coherent, its easily found out to be ripped off another poster at DU or HP. James busted him twice on that awhile ago.
So we either get DU clips or rambling gibberish. For my $ $, itwould be better if he stole others' posts and just gave attribution.
how many lies are you going to post today :D
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Problem is that if he posts anything remotely coherent, its easily found out to be ripped off another poster at DU or HP. James busted him twice on that awhile ago.
So we either get DU clips or rambling gibberish. For my $ $, itwould be better if he stole others' posts and just gave attribution.
He's not smart enough to think for himself. He's a laughing stock of a gimmick at this point, just like his other accounts: Mons Venus, Prognosticator/Neurotoxin, Cohiba, etc are.
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like i said when you go out on your own you can comment.sooner or later your mom is going to have to do the right thing and kick you out
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You spend all day on this board posting on six different accounts. You're clearly uneducated so you're not working a well-paying job. You're also too poor to afford a smart phone so you're not posting on one of those.
Judging by those facts, it's clear that you're a benefit-leeching degenerate living in your parent's basement. Move along, gimmick. 8)
Your hard-on for me is starting to get creepy.
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like i said when you go out on your own you can comment.sooner or later your mom is going to have to do the right thing and kick you out
Living in a group home for homeless people does not count Blacken. I'm surprised at the access they give you to computers.
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Living in a group home for homeless people does not count Blacken. I'm surprised at the access they give you to computers.
:D :D :D :D
Notice how this douche derails every thread he posts in now? Anything to cover up the beatings like this one. "Flicker" of Al Qaeda. Hahahaha!
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You spend all day on this board posting on six different accounts. You're clearly uneducated so you're not working a well-paying job. You're also too poor to afford a smart phone so you're not posting on one of those.
Judging by those facts, it's clear that you're a benefit-leeching degenerate living in your parent's basement. Move along, gimmick. 8)
Your hard-on for me is starting to get creepy.
who's following who
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who's following who
Go back to the first page. I quoted 333 and then you threw your typical temper tantrum and tried to derail the thread in an effort to save face about the lies you were caught out on. Just stop. It's embarrassing smacking around someone as intellectually challenged as you are.
"Flicker". ::)
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Just look at this thread for a good example. Blacken's been trying to rationalize Obama aiding Al Qaeda all week. It's quite pathetic but not surprising given the level of retardation exhibited by this gimmick over time.
(CNN)- During “In the Arena,” Jon Lee Anderson, staff writer for The New Yorker reporting from Benghazi, Libya, tells Eliot Spitzer that the number of opposition fighters on the front lines are fewer than anyone would think and that they are poorly armed and badly trained. Anderson says, “Effective number of fighting men, well under 1,000. Actual soldiers, who are now in the fight, possibly in the very low hundreds on the opposition side.”
http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/31/jon-lee-anderson-libyan-opposition-has-under-1000-fighting-men/
LOL! We're helping a few hundred people try to topple a dictator. ::)
And the funniest part is that, should they end up as a democracy, the odds are Gadhafi's son will win a general election. Hahahah! The Obama regime didn't think this through.
so that's what you call a debate ::)
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LIBYA: Rebels execute black immigrants while forces kidnap others
SomalilandPress ^ | March 5 2011 | Qalinle Hussein
ADDIS ABABA — While much of the world’s attention is focusing on crude oil prices and the Libyan pipelines in the east of the country– human right groups say rebels are committing crimes against humanity.
In east Libya, African hunt began as towns and cities began fall under the control of Libyan rebels, mobs and gangs. They started to detain, insult, rape and even executing black immigrants, students and refugees.
In the past two weeks, more than 100 Africans from various Sub-Sahara states are believed to have been killed by Libyan rebels and their supporters.
According to Somali refugees in Libya, at least five Somalis from Somaliland and Somalia were executed in Tripoli and Benghazi by anti-Gaddafi mobs. Dozens of refugees and immigrants workers from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, Mali and guy have been killed, some of them were led into the desert and stabbed to death. Black Libyan men receiving medical care in hospitals in Benghazi were reportedly abducted by armed rebels. They are part of more than 200 African immigrants held in secret locations by the rebels.
In many disputes involving Libyan residents and black Africans, the Libyans are turning in the Africans as mercenaries.
Thousands more Africans caught up in this mercenary hysteria are terrified. Some barricaded themselves in their homes, while others hid in the desert. Insulted, threatened, beaten, chased and robbed. Their only crime was being black and therefore treated as “mercenaries” of Gaddafi.
While the airing of Gaddafi’s so called “black mercenaries” by Western media has ignited the issue, some say an xenophobic attitude towards these refugees and labourers has existed for years. They say the current attacks are racially motivated because the rebels have released many actual Libyan mercenaries and soldiers under a tribal agreement. They believe many Arabs felt their Libyan leader was abandoning them for black Africans ever since he became a “pan-Africanist”. Many immigrants were regularly victims of racism.
In many situations, Gaddafi and his inner circle preferred black Africans and Libyans from the south over Libyans from the east. Now the angry mobs using the revolutionary movement across Arabia and North Africa are hunting down black people.
Mohamed Abdillahi, Somaliland, 25, was sleeping at his home in Zouara, when the mobs arrived. “They knocked on the door around 1 o’clock in the morning. They said get out, we’ll kill you, you are blacks, foreigners, clear.”
The testimonials and are very similar among the thousands of Africans that saw the ugly side of Libya in the past weeks. “They have attacked us, they took everything from us,” said Ali Farah, Somali labourer 29 years.
“They wanted to kill civilians, they beat many of us. To me, they are animals,” says Jamal Hussein, 25 years Sudanese worker.
Many of the fleeing Africans are terrified to tell their stories. At the checkpoint, they do not mingle with others. When asked about their ordeal, they just freeze, “they stopped us many times and said not tell what has happened here, say there are no problems,” Elias Nour from Ethiopia said.
“For the past seven days, my whole family has been holed up at home without any food, running water or electricity, we appeal for urgent intervention,” Mohamed Abdi from Somaliland told local reporters by cellphone.
In the latest reports reaching Somalilandpress from Tripoli, forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi have reportedly began kidnapping African and Libyan youths from their homes and universities. They are said to be preparing them for a showdown against the rebels. The kidnapped youths include five teenagers from Somaliland.
Many Africans have virtually nothing after years in Libya, many have been looted, robbed, while others saw their living quarters and apartments go in flames. Now they are praying to God to send them home.
While the international leaders are busy drafting resolutions to dismantle Muammar Gaddafi, the African Union has not yet commented on the situation in Libya.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court is said to have started a formal inquiry into possible crimes against humanity in Libya that will investigate the Libyan regime.