The untold story of alqaeda and the libyan rebellion shows how it could have happened and why it did happen. Egyptian islamic jihad, which was led by ayman al zawahiri, and. Sudan has served as a sanctuary and staging ground for al qaeda and other global terrorist organizations. Jan 28, 2010 al qaeda members to stay in jail libya s gaddafi. Al qaeda has had an influence on libya since the 1990s. Connections between al qaeda and libyan rebels run deep. Jun 23, 2015 the islamic state is or daesh has transcended alqaedas modus operandi.
Sep 29, 2012 the us intelligence community said that a deadly assault on a us consulate in libya was a planned attack linked to al qaeda, but stressed that many unanswered questions remained. The third strategic objective that elevating joulani to. Ansar al shariah in libya asl was an islamist group that formed when two smaller militant groups, ansar al shariah in benghazi asb and ansar al shariah in derna asd, each only a couple months old themselves, merged in the aftermath of the february 2011 libyan uprising against muammar elqaddafi. Al qahtani, whose name seems to originate from the arabian peninsula, has not been mentioned in past isil propaganda. By contrast, alqaeda is devoted to the idea of waging a longterm.
Chad, of course, lies to libya s south, and there are fears that a collapse of the central government in tripoli could allow groups sympathetic to al qaeda to set up camp in the vast deserts of. The group aimed to establish shariah law in tunisia and promoted the idea of global jihad. I have outlined al qaedas clandestine network in previous testimony and articles, drawing on u. The is media machine highlights daily triumphs, and shortterm goals and achievements, in an effort to lure gullible young people to join them and experience these immediate, tangible victories. Al jemaah al islamiyyah the islamic group is a southeast asian group dedicated to bringing islamist rule to the area.
Pdf al qaedas organizational structure and its evolution. Inside the uaes war on alqaeda in yemen the independent. In november last year noman benotman, exhead of the libyan islamic fighting group which is trying to overthrow the regime of muammar gaddafi, published a letter which asked al qaeda to give up all its operations in the islamic world and in the west, adding that ordinary westerners were blameless and should not be attacked. Sep 27, 2012 al qaeda in the islamic maghreb has long operated in the region, she said, and was now exploiting a haven in mali to export extremism and terrorist violence to neighbors like libya. Al qaeda functioned both on its own and through some of the terrorist organizations that operated under its umbrella, including. If you wish to view the testimony with footnotes included, download the pdf by clicking here. He was born in afghanistan but moved to pakistan with his family after the russian invasion in 1979. The united states suspects it of ties to al qaeda, but these seem tenuous on a large scale. May 12, 2009 ibn al shaykh al libis allegation that iraqi agents trained al qaeda operatives in the use of chemical and biological weapons was pivotal to the bush administrations case for the 2003 invasion. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Mauritania, mali and niger to egypt and libya, from where they are transported further in. Us captures alqaeda leader wanted over 1998 embassy bombings. Below is thomas joscelyns testimony to the house committee on foreign affairs subcommittee on terrorism, nonproliferation, and trade on jihadist groups operating inside libya, including the islamic state and al qaeda.
Alqaedas 911 attacks was the deadliest ever on american soil, killing nearly 3,000 people. It is therefore likely a strategic consideration for both joulani and zawahiri to ensure this network adheres to alqaeda as it evolves. Alex thurston, my colleague at georgetown, argues that in libya the united states has set the bar too high regarding ties to al qaeda. Abu yahya allibi born mohamed hassan qaid, was a terrorist and leading high ranking official within alqaeda, and an alleged member of the libyan islamic fighting group. A profile 19 qaeda associated network nodes in libya. Backgrounder the threat of new alqaeda leadership the case of syrias aljoulani une 30 2015 of a caliphate on june 29, 2014. Alternatively, you can also download the pdf file directly to your computer, from where it can be opened using a pdf reader. Islamic militants among prisoners freed from libyan jail. Umbrella groups for al qaeda affiliates in libya have been. Allibi was one of several highprofile bagram captives who escaped on the night of july 10. Sep 21, 2016 the libyan national armys spokesperson, ahmed al mismari, said on tuesday that a recent kidnapping of three foreigners in libya bore the marks of an al qaeda operation. May 30, 2014 library of congress federal research division alqaeda in libya. The al qaeda network today also comprises semiautonomous or self radicalized actors, who often have only peripheral or ephemeral ties to either the core cadre in pakistan or affiliated groups elsewhere. Libya s colonel muammar gaddafi has been africas and the arab worlds longestruling, most erratic, most grimly fascinating leader presiding for 42 years over this desert republic with vast oil.
As recently as 2006 al qaeda documents captured by u. Volume xi, issue 1 february 2017 universiteit leiden. Apr 29, 2015 yet even in its early days the group bickered with the al qaeda leadership. Mar 26, 2011 chad, of course, lies to libyas south, and there are fears that a collapse of the central government in tripoli could allow groups sympathetic to al qaeda to set up camp in the vast deserts of. Chairman poe, ranking member keating and members of the. The emirati military says it is winning the battle against alqaeda in yemen but some question their methods. Ansar alsharia groups in both tunisia and libya were labeled localized jihadist groups that shared alqaedas ideology, but operated independent of alqaedas command structure. Aug 26, 2011 islamic militants among prisoners freed from libyan jail. Alqaida core is the subject of a research note by sajjan gohel, who. Download fulltext pdf download fulltext pdf analysis and background of the arab spring in libya article pdf available in european researcher 3912. Military situation in libya on 8 january 2020 under the control of the house of representatives and the libyan national army under the control of the government of national accord gna and different militias forming the libya shield force controlled by local forces for a more detailed 2019 map, see military situation in. Exus base now headquarters of al qaedalinked forces. A financial profile of the terrorism of alqaeda and its affiliates. However, ast and ansar al shariah in libya asl reportedly shared operational, financial, and logistical links.
This kashmirbased sunni pakistani group has historically directed its attacks at india. Ansar alsharia in libya asl is one of the most powerful jihadi groups in libya. Al qaeda defector al fadl, who was a former member of qatar charity, testified in court that abdullah mohammed yusef, who served as qatar charitys director, was affiliated to al qaeda and simultaneously to the national islamic front, a political group that gave al qaeda leader osama bin laden harbor in sudan in the early 1990s. The most highprofile debate in the field of terrorism. Aug 15, 2018 inside the uaes war on alqaeda in yemen. Al qaeda will probably refrain from using the al qaeda name and instead may use other names, such as ansar al sharia, or simply mujahedin. Senior al qaeda leader abu yahya al libi was killed in a drone strike on june 4, 2012. These documents were declassified and released to the public on may 3, 2012. Libya has a range of jihadist groups, including is, alqaeda linked groups. Al qaeda members to stay in jail libyas gaddafi reuters. Group type the alqaeda clandestine network is certainly a jihadist group, committed to the ideology of alqaeda and its objectives of establishing an islamic state in libya and eradicating western influence in the muslim world in general and in libya in. The us intelligence community said that a deadly assault on a us consulate in libya was a planned attack linked to al qaeda, but stressed that many unanswered questions remained. Instability and chaos is a perfect petri dish environment tailor made for alqaeda to exploit and grow and flourish like malignant bacteria. A financial profile of the terrorism of alqaeda and its affiliates by juan miguel.
This report provides a blowbyblow account of the military conflict between dignity and dawn forces, then assesses the implications of the libyan civil war on. To download the pdf, click the download link below. Oct 05, 20 us captures al qaeda leader wanted over 1998 embassy bombings october 5, 20 7. Some of these individuals traveled to iraq after 2003 to fight alongside al qaeda in iraq. Instead, the united states and its allies should try to disaggregate the threat, recognizing that ties to al qaeda is a description that is often so loose as to be meaningless in the libyan context. Al qaeda figure who provided link to iraq reportedly dead in. Abu iyadh al tunisi, the leader of ast, organized riots. The united states and its allies have both moral and strategic interests in ensuring that libya does not collapse back into civil war or become a haven for al qaeda or other jihadist groups within striking distance of europe. Archived pdf from the original on 14 november 2012. Ansar al sharia benghazi strength on display, youtub slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. A profile, federal research division, library of congress, august 2012. Library of congress federal research division al qaeda in libya.
The pdf file you selected should load here if your web browser has a pdf reader plugin installed for example, a recent version of adobe acrobat reader. Exus base now headquarters of al qaeda linked forces by gabriel black 1 may 2014 al qaeda fighters are now operating out of a base set up by us special forces near the libyan capital of. In 2011, belmokhtar visited an al qaeda training camp in libya where he recruited the former al mourabitoun emir abu bakr al nasri. Libya rebels rejects gaddafis alqaida spin world news. However this is not the first time that al moutabitoun has tried to expand into libya. Another formal merger took place between al qaeda and the libyan islamic fighting. Alqaeda will probably refrain from using the al qaeda name and instead may use other names, such as ansar alsharia, or simply mujahedin. Militants participated in the 2011 libyan civil war as the libyan islamic movement al harakat al islamiya al libiya, and are involved in the libyan civil war as members of the libya. The recent killings in libya are likely the first terrorist act staged by alqaeda operating out of eastern libya. Alqaeda suffers heavy losses in yemen conflicts arab news. The extent of their influence in the new libya has. Al qaeda and the taliban for the magazine since 911.
Pdf the inner organizational structure of al qaeda within the expanded framework of the global jihad. Libya officially the state of libya is a country in the maghreb region in north africa, bordered by. Johnsen, a profile of aqaps upper echelon, combating terrorism center. Libyas recent kidnapping linked to alqaeda youtube. Asl emerged from the merger of the ansar alshariah brigade in benghazi asb and ansar. Libyan civil war 2014present simple english wikipedia. Using the mckinsey 7s framework to assess alqaeda over. The yemenbased al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, also known as aqap, has been weakened by the deaths of its leaders at the hands of us drones, ground attacks by yemeni troops and. Egyptian ayman al zawahiri is the highestranking surviving member of al qaeda s leadership after osama bin laden was killed on may 2, 2011. The assassinations in libya demonstrate this all too well.
Library of congress federal research division alqaeda in libya. Pdf analysis and background of the arab spring in libya. Asl emerged from the merger of the ansar al shariah brigade in benghazi asb. Since the fall of the taliban, alqaeda has established operations worldwide, including in syria, the gulf, north africa, west africa, east africa, and the indian subcontinent. Yet even in its early days the group bickered with the al qaeda leadership. Sep 27, 2016 al qaedas clandestine presence in libya.
Hady amr is a thought leader on a range of socioeconomic and geopolitical issues facing the middle east with a focus on the levant, israelipalestinian relations and the gulf, as well as arab human. Apr 09, 20 secretary of state hillary clinton pondered in the aftermath of the september 11, 2012 attacks in benghazi that left american ambassador to libya chris stevens and three other americans dead. Clinton suggests qaeda link in libya attack the new york times. Abu iyadh altunisi, the leader of ast, organized riots. Saif al islam was motivated not just to bring a formal end to the civil war but to put a stop to al qaeda s growing influence in libya. Ast was not formally affiliated with the ansar al shariah organizations operating in libya, yemen and egypt. Abu yahya allibi born mohamed hassan qaid, was a terrorist and leading highranking official within alqaeda, and an alleged member of the libyan islamic fighting group. The libyan islamic fighting group lifg, also known as al jamaa al islamiyyah al muqatilah bi libya arabic. Alqaeda islamic police on patrol in libyan city contested with isis. Islamists played a decisive role in the libyan revolution against colonel muammar al qadhafi.
1231 184 884 1127 555 350 356 511 1488 1204 498 137 348 1500 148 1674 1537 160 1457 519 1326 1442 1010 924 191 1286 606 46 403 848 203 218 3 1262 734 946 1096 459