La Libye, base-arrière des islamistes

La Libye, base-arrière des islamistes

Il y a un texte éclairant de McClatchy.News, datant du 12 décembre 2013, un reportages sur les conditions de vie en Libye sous ce qui semble être une belle et bonne domination, en influence et en organisation, du groupe islamiste extrémiste Ansar al Shariah.

Ce que nous montre surtout ce reportage, c’est l’organisation, qui semble fonctionner avec toute la souplesse voulue, de la Libye en une sorte de base-arrière du terrorisme islamiste, particulièrement en Syrie. Il y a un flot continu de “combattants islamistes” venant de divers pays pour un stage d’entraînement, avant de partir vers les divers théâtres d’opération disponibles... Il y a dans le texte un extrait d’un échange à peine surréaliste mais dans tous les cas édifiant entre la journaliste de McClatchy, Nancy A. Youssef, et le “ministre de la justice” du “gouvernement” officiel libyen, Salah al Marghani, qui joue à la fois l’étonnement devant la question sur ces “rebelles” circulant librement, et qui réclame avec une ingénuité parfaitement jouée des informations de la journaliste pour tenter d’agir contre ces “rebelles”, ou faire comme si, tout en reconnaissant qu’avec les moyens et l’autonomie d’action dont il dispose il aura bien des difficultés à empêcher leur déplacement en Libye.

Il s’agit d’une description hyperréaliste et “à peine surréaliste” de la situation libyenne, par rapport à ce que les adversaires de l’intervention craignaient de voir se produire. En fait, le résultat de l’intervention du bloc BAO est tellement “pire que le pire qu’on craignait”, qu’on croirait lire une description caricaturale des prévisions presque caricaturales que faisaient les adversaires de l’intervention des effets de cette intervention.

«Every week, about a dozen Syrians arrive at Benghazi’s airport for what’s described as insurgent training. When they fly out, they’re carrying fake Libyan passports, according to three officials familiar with the comings and goings of foreigners at the airport. The accounts of the officials, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the topic, are more evidence that this city in Libya has become a regional hub for Islamist extremists seeking to hone their combat skills.

»Fighters from Tunisia and Algeria also are thought to be training here, driving across Libya’s borders to reach Benghazi, the birthplace of the uprising that, with NATO’s help, toppled Moammar Gadhafi two years ago. But the Syrians’ routine arrival and departure by air indicates that the training process is better organized and financed than had been realized.

»It also raises questions about the role of Libya’s homegrown militia, Ansar al Shariah, in the global jihadi movement. Ansar al Shariah has its roots in the anti-Gadhafi uprising and it’s thought to have participated in the attack last year on U.S. facilities in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Any effort to train al Qaida-linked fighters here is unlikely to have gone forward without the backing of Ansar al Shariah, experts in the organization say.

»The Benghazi airport officials said that in the face of weak government forces and Ansar al Shariah supporters among their personnel, there’s little they can do to stop fighters from arriving or from leaving illegally, even though their fake passports are easily detected. By leaving on Libyan passports, they avoid legal requirements that they report their activities while they’re in the country, the airport officials told McClatchy. “It is easier to leave Libya that way. They fly to Istanbul and sneak back into Syria,” one airport employee said. “They use the Libyan passport once.” The three airport officials said they saw anywhere from 10 to 15 fighters each week.

»Airport authorities can’t stop them because they themselves fear the repercussions of confronting militants. As one employee explained, pointing to an immigration official: “He is with Ansar al Shariah.” “There is nothing we can do to stop it,” a second official told McClatchy. “But everyone knows who they are.” Libya’s minister of justice, Salah al Marghani, told McClatchy that the government is unaware of fighters coming to the country for training, but he acknowledged that Libya’s security situation would allow “such groups to move freely.” “I would not be surprised if foreign fighters are involved like this... We have a lot of challenges,” he said. “Thank you for letting me know so we can investigate this.” [...]

»What is clear, however, is that in the months since U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others died here in the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on U.S. facilities, Ansar al Shariah’s presence in Benghazi has grown, despite the initial public reaction, which drove it from its headquarters into hiding in the days immediately after Stevens’ death.

»Beyond Benghazi, where it was founded, the group has spread to eastern cities that were key to the 2011 uprising, including Ajdabiya and Derna. Residents told McClatchy that the difference now is that rather than operate as an open organization from a headquarters, the group has melted into the population. “They have created cells in Benghazi,” said Mohammed Idreesi, a political activist here. “They can gather themselves in seconds. . . . Ansar al Shariah is stronger now.” The group also is working hard to provide services such as health care in a push to earn the support of residents...»

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