President Barack Obama resolved earlier this month, much to the surprise of Washington insiders, to open a third anti-terror front in Libya to eradicate the Islamic Front’s tightening grip on the country.
While collaborating with Russia in the Syrian arena, and with the Iranians and the Iraqi army and Sunnis in Iraq, Obama took his close aides by surprise by another decision – to lead the Libya campaign again in conjunction with Russia, as well as with concerned Western Europe allies.
The first step in this campaign took place this weekend: A group of US, Russian, French and Italian Special Forces quietly landed at a point south of Tobruk near the Libyan-Egyptian frontier. Standing by after preparing the ground were some 1,000 British SAS troops.
The landing area is located some 144 kilometers from Darnah, the main bastion of extremist Libyan Islamic groups linked to Al Qaeda or ISIS, of which the ultra-violent Ansar al Sharia is the most powerful.
The joint US-Russian war offensive building up in Libya, the first such collaboration in many decades, may be seen as an extension of their expanding military partnership in Syria, DEBKAfile’s military sources report.
Preparations for the campaign were assigned to two special operational commands set up at the Pentagon and at the US Central Command, CENTCOM, in Tampa, Florida.
According to the scenario sketched in advance by DEBKA Weekly, large-scale US air, naval and ground units are to spearhead the new coalition’s combined assault on the main Libyan redoubts of ISIS, Al Qaeda, Ansar al-Sharia and other radical Islamist organizations. Cruise missiles strikes will blast them from US, British, French and Italian warships on the Mediterranean.
At the peak of the assault, large-scale US, British and French marines will land on shore for an operation first billed as the largest allied war landing since the 1952 Korean War. The attachment of Russian forces was negotiated later.
According to this scenario, one group will be dropped ashore from the Gulf of Sidra (see attached map) to seize the town of Sirte, a city of 50,000, where ISIS has located its central military command center in Libya.
This group will then split up into two task forces.
One will head south to take over Tripoli and its oil fields 370 kilometers away and reinstate Libya’s central government, which had been exiled to Tobruk, at its seat in the capital.
On its way to Tripoli, the force will take control of three renegade towns: Misrata, Zliten and Khoms.
The second task force will head north to capture the eastern Libyan capital of Benghazi, seizing Ras Lanuf, 200 kilometers east of Sirte, en route. A second marine force will meanwhile land in eastern Libya to capture the radical Islamist stronghold of Darnah, a port city with 150,000 inhabitants.
The Obama administration will therefore be going into Libya for the second time in four years – only this time up front and on the ground – for three objectives:
1. Control of Libya’s oil and gas fields.
2. Stripping ISIS of its jumping-off base for terrorizing Europe, especially Italy, from across the Mediterranean.
3. Saving Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco from the noose ISIS and Al Qaeda are pulling around them from their back yard.
Max Said:
anyone interested in facts…. and not there just to wank.
Max Said:
I so enjoy your absurd comments. since when did the mention of a fact become counter productive? It appears that one fact got you very upset.Max Said:
not to worry, it is unlikely that you ever had a meaningful 5 minute period in your life.
Max Said:
thats what you said the last time you came here and peed on the carpet…. when I sent you running and whimpering like a naughty puppy after rubbing your face in it.
Max Said:
do you disagree with the fact I posted… without comment on my part. Are you saying that Haftar trained at langley is a conspiracy theory of no merit? I asked this question a few times and you did not answer…….. did it spoil your little wank in public?
Facts can be so inconvenient to wankers.
Max Said:
Actually, on forums such as this, facts matter. But I can understand why you would be upset when your opinions are thrown out by the simple posting of one fact… without any comment… did you see how that was done? 🙂
Max Said:
apparently you cannot because “argument” involves facts and constructive reasoning.
I wonder why your knickers got in a twist when I simply posted an article, without comment, which demonstrated that General Haftar was trained at Langley and is therefore Americas point man. After all, you did not disagree with the posted fact so I can only assume that your upset was that the appearance of the fact may have rendered your opinions irrelevant. After all, how strange that you left out the most important fact regarding Haftar when discussing the situation and offering your “opinions”. HMMMM, perhaps you should re read your posts and see if you would like to make any changes now that an important fact has been presented.
Next time carry an umbrella to your parade in case it gets rained upon with facts. Hissy fits from little girls are inappropriate in adult forums.
@ bernard ross:
Anyone can argue white is black . black is white. Endlessly.
Arguments only matter in context – intent matters.
And the intent is identified by looking at the mission statements.
EG However good , the arguments are, if someone ‘s logic leads to the annihilation of Israel they are SCCCUUUMMMM.
Your arguments are all to prove deep hidden conspiracy X-files stuff..
Who would give a rat’s patootie except the mind-warped!!
When the intent of a person is identified as counter productive there is no need to argue anything.
Your intent is nutbar conspiracy theories. The martians are playing ping pong in Benghazi
So here is another 5 minutes of my life that I will never get back.
bye bye
NEVER AGAIN!
Max Said:
why am I not surprised that you were unable to cobble together a single fact in your rant?
like I said before:
bernard ross Said:
and also like I said before:
bernard ross Said:
still waiting to see what you disagreed with in the wiki excerpt I posted…. perhaps you had no disagreement but just have a problem with facts……
still waiting…. 😛
Max Said:
of course, you have nothing, as usual.
little boy ran home pouting 🙁
@ bernard ross:
The Konspiracy King is at it again.
What do we have now UFO’s in Benghazi?
Hey, it’s the CIA fluoride, man!
Hold onto your hats , it’s gonna be a big one!
I bet you got a 10 year subscription to Debka.
..
There is no discussion
You are a nutbar. End of story.
@ Max:
Did you disagree with any fact I posted in that wikipedia post or do you just rant from habit? 🙂
Max Said:
LOL, you said the same thing a couple of years ago when I submitted the aaron klein story of benghazi and the US conspiracy to arm the syrian jihadis with the weapons they were recollecting from Libya. You laughingly asserted that you had the real news in syria from the ground rebels twitterings… you thought the arab spring was really a democtratic rebellion coincidentally arising as opposed to it being an intelligence twitter organized series of events as a cover which allowed them to bring in all the foreign jihadi sunni mercenaries.
I have no idea what side you are on but certainly it is one of self delusion if you still beleive the same rubbish. I merely point out that Haftar is not there by accident and that his current scenario is many years in the making. I did not take a side I merely pointed out facts…. facts always seem to trouble you. Did you not notice that I did not post to you but merely posted Haftars background so that Israpundit posters can analyze what is happening not in childish ideologies as you perceive things but in the fact that Haftar is the american point man.
Do you still beleive that benghazi was not a covert conspiracy to arm sunni jihadis in syria as you did when you first ranted here…. or have you finally come to accept the fact that the US was arming AQ elements in collaboration with sunni monarchies and Turkey just as it did in the 1980’s in afghanistan.
If you want discussion with me, which I never invited from you, you will have to deal in facts as opposed to your semi theological ranting.
@ bernard ross:
Here we go :rolleyes:
…
Fantastic! For an “ostensibly” anyway.
..
That’s why he is USA’s best bet and you, Mr Konspiracy King are not.
@ Dandaman:
Yep , and how in 2006 Israeli troops were cutting through Lebanon to the sea above Sidon or something like that.
You gotta hand it to Debka , they know the things nobody else knows and nobody else ever will know.
🙂
I’d rather have bad news than fake good news.
I recall a story about some embassy being blown up in some Arab country. The kind of thing every major news outlet would make their lead story. Never heard a peep about it ever since. And here I am thinking every Israeli hates to be a sucker.
@ Dandaman:
Absolutely agree.
Once, when I was following the Libyan Revolution,minute by minute, in extreme detail, I might add, I once outed a guy who was making up stuff and people were eating it up and loving it giving him primary reinforcement through “likes” and positive comments.
But none of it ever panned out, the pics, the sources, the proof of the pudding never arrived so to speak , he was just telling desperate people what they wanted to hear.
..
And I confronted him and he said : Why am I making a such fuss? They love hearing this!”
There you go.
What it is , is what it is.
Edit:
And oh yeah, be careful about “confirmation” – like there are ghost sites that just pick up the original feed from Debka or whatever and regurgitate it and with the same lack of veracity and sources.
Like the site Ted found only posted a file photo of Libyan soldiers training in Tripoli from last year I think. News feeds get fed into a media machine and even reputable news sites start replicating rumours … so no sources – it’s someone’s speculation or fantasy or wishful thinking – not news.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3412671/US-officials-deny-taking-control-airfield-northern-Syria-satellite-pictures-derelict-landing-strip-doubling-size-cargo-planes.html
Sometimes there’s a kernel of truth to their stories, but little else. Standard procedure to keep the chumps forking over the bucks.
@ Ted Belman:
Ted, PT Barnum said a sucker is born every minute. I don’t think he ever visited Israel where the rate is every 30 seconds.
@ Ted Belman:
It’s not a “mantra,” it’s years of observation. They make up these hyperbolic stories which are never carried by any other news outlets. If they had any news value someone else would surely carry the news. Rarely if ever happens. Sort of disappointed you haven’t caught on by now.
@ Ted Belman:
Thanks “Libya Herald” has been up since just after the revolution is very westernized and usually quite accurate and has good current news – one stop news shopping usually.
General Hafter is the West’s best ally in Libya, all things considered (Libya is divided in a power struggle , Hafter dissolved the Islamist GNC). Some things are hard to figure out because the two main groups in the “Unity Government” and more are really in quite a power struggle). So there are some things reporters and leaders of the factions must skirt around, (can’t say openly). Even the population of Tripoli is not clear day to day on the sitrep. This divisional weakness is what IS came in and took advantage of.
. Hafter claims he is finishing off IS elements right now in Benghazi his attention will soon turn to Sirte. We shall see what we shall see, the hot spots right now are what General Hafter is doing.
https://www.libyaherald.com/2016/01/23/eastern-elders-reject-serraj-government-as-hafter-tells-them-liberation-of-benghazi-imminent/
@ Max:
Good work Max.
Ted Belman Said:
I haven’t bothered with Debka since the nonsense they spouted in 2006 and sent me on a dozen wild goose chases. . fifty times burned now forget about it!
They report news more often than not that nutburns want to hear.
…
And who cares about popularity?. Popularity is what got us Obama, Trudeau Jr. , Notley and Hitler and look how that worked out.
What you got in that google looks like rumour mill and is nowhere near the “master plan ” that Debka put out which is totally hilarious as if the West was going to do that!! you’d need .5 to one million troops to do that and with dubious effect. Didn’t anyone follow the Libyan revolution and understand the house to house battle tactics?
Misratagrad ring a bell?
Debka is full of conspiracy nonsense, every Muslim is a “terrorist” to them and the news is hocus pocus X-files stuff..
So this is supposed to be “secret news” as if the real news were not good enough.
Here’s the real news
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-libya-islamicstate-idUSKCN0V02AN
and all real Libyan News here:
https://www.libyaherald.com/
If Western troops come in it would be to help General Hafter and the new Unity Government but not a single foreign boot will go on the ground without the permission of the new government or you wouldn’t have a Libya anymore , everywhere you would have Stalingrad fighting the foreign invaders for 20 years. so the Debka report is bogus.
General Hafter is the best bet He is taking Misrata , not the Ghost army of Russians who could not move an inch without local popular support as if! rolleyes
For sure US is supplying logistics and next possibly air power. The situation is fluid – there is lots of situational news there on the Herald – just read it it’s real news.
Final Conclusion:
Foreign boots on the ground without Lybia’s official and public permission? Impossible! Stupid waste of time reading Debka. So this is 51st burn for me from Debka.
If and when it happens everyone will know it
Or as they say “pics or STFU”.
This is a dumm discussion – discuss Libya do it right – use the real news.
But thanks ted, for the impetus for me to review the Lybian Situ but no thanks to Debka.
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“Ghost Western armies all by themselves, knocking off Misrata, Zliten and Khoms like dominoes – hilarious! Like “Call of Duty”. Dum and Dumer III
.
Googling found this:
Report: UK, U.S., Russian troops in Libya in Alarabiya.
@ Dandaman:
@ Max:
Everyone repeats the mantra that DEBKA is not credible. They may or may not be but that doesn’t mean that this report is not accurate. I note you said nothing about that.
By the way a huge number of people subscribe to their newsletter which costs I believe $100/month. So not everyone agrees with your characterization.
Dandaman Said:
Agreed , Debka has no credibility. They damage the cause they purport to serve.
DEBKA turns out bs and spreads it to anyone citing it.