Destabilization and chaos in Libya blamed on the Obama administration

Joseph L. ParkerJanuary 20, 2014

0 340 3 minutes read

The Obama administration is being blamed for the chaos and destabilization of Libya after the “kinetic” military action there in 2011. Al-Qaeda and other radical Islamic factions are in the process of taking control of Libya, thanks to President Obama and NATO.

A Libyan tribal leader, Sheik Mahmoud Al Sharief told WND:

Right now, there are six major al-Qaida training camps in Libya – in Sabratha, in Sirte, in Misrata, in Derna, in Benghazi and in Sabha.

Al Sharief heads five tribes in the Western mountains of Libya which extends from Tripoli to Tunsia. In a Skype interview he also told WND: “There is a state of anarchy in Libya. There is no government now, there is no law and order. Under the old regime Libya was a stabilizing factor in the region, a peaceful nation with a productive economy.

But now that the U.S. government and NATO have come in, Libya has become a destabilizing factor in the region, dominated by al-Qaida and al-Qaida related radical Islamic groups. He said the “provisional government established by the Obama administration and by NATO is not functioning.”

The National Transitional Council of Libya, (NTC), in Benghazi is now the “de facto government” of Libya. They were part of the revolution that saw the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi in Oct. 2011. Power was officially transferred to the NTC in Aug. 2012. They are currently tasked with “forming a constituent assembly to write a permanent constitution.”

The weak state of Libya has left a power vacuum which was caused by the “kinetic” military action by the U.S. and NATO. According to Al Sharief this opened the door allowing al-Qaeda to “infiltrate and control Libya.”

A training camp in the Sabratha region is said to contain al-Qaeda and their sympathizers from throughout the Islamic world. These extremists have flooded into Libya coming from Afghanistan, Iraq, Tunisia, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Algeria and Pakistan.

Libya is being targeted by al-Qaeda because it is rich in oil and is strategically located which could be used as a base to launch attacks against western interests. It’s a mere few hours, by boat, from Italy and Greece. Al Sharief said:

So al-Qaida is now strong, with massive, heavy weapons, and I’m not just talking about sub-machine guns. Al-Qaida has a lot of cash. And al-Qaida now has the advantage of being able to hide behind the weak state in Libya.

Al-Sharief continuing placing the blame for the state of his country at the feet of Obama and NATO. He further added:

This is a result of the campaign by President Obama and NATO to support the so-called ‘freedom fighters who were killing and are now slaughtering the people in a butcher style. The country is now in chaos. There is no state, there is no government, there is no country. No one is in control. There is no law and order. It is anarchy.

Libya is definitely in chaos and a state of destabilization thanks to the unauthorized strikes Obama launched without seeking Congressional support. Our Constitution doesn’t allow a president to unilaterally launch a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.

Obama didn’t seek Congressional authorization before ordering the American military to join in the attacks of Libyan air defenses and government forces. He bypassed the political process and authorized strikes anyway. After the attacks began the House actually voted down a measure giving the President authority to continue military actions in Libya, according to the Examiner.

Democratic lawmakers said that Obama had exceeded his constitutional authority by authorizing the attack without Congressional permission. The chaos and destabilization in Libya has now left them open to being controlled by al-Qaeda.