Posted by John Rosenthal
In an interview published today in the French daily Le Figaro, a spokesman for Libya’s National Transitional Council acknowledged that Islamic extremists figure among the rebels fighting to overthrow the rule of Muammar al-Gaddafi. But the spokesman, Mahmoud Shamman, insisted that the “radical elements” represent only a “tiny portion” of the rebels: namely, “no more [...]
Posted by John Rosenthal
A new report from two French think tanks concludes that jihadists have played a predominant role in the eastern-Libyan rebellion against the rule of Moammar Qaddafi, and that “true democrats” represent only a minority in the rebellion. The report, furthermore, calls into question the justifications given for Western military intervention in Libya, arguing that they [...]
Posted by John Rosenthal
In a now mysterious interview published earlier this month in the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat, an al-Qaeda spokesman appeared to confirm the terror group’s presence in the eastern Libyan rebellion — and then the spokesman denied he ever said it… See my new article on Pajamas Media here.
Posted by John Rosenthal
Whereas American officials have been straining to make out “flickers” of intelligence suggesting a jihadist influence in the rebellion against the rule of Muammar al-Gaddafi, a reporter visiting eastern Libya for France’s Journal du Dimanche encountered a flagrant jihadist presence and met with participants who talked openly about their dedication to jihad and/or their desire to [...]
Posted by John Rosenthal
A report by Roberto Bongiorni of the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reveals an interesting detail about the eastern Libyan rebel stronghold of Darnah: one that suggests just how widespread the participation of the locals in the Afghan and Iraq “jihads” must have been. See my new post on the Tatler blog here.
Posted by John Rosenthal
In the absence of any evident national interest justification for bombing Libya, the Obama administration is said to have been motivated by the so-called responsibility to protect — or “R2P” per the wonkish English acronym. But the application of this supposed “responsibility to protect” civilians has taken America into a war on the side of [...]
Posted by John Rosenthal
Shortly after unrest broke out in eastern Libya in mid-February, reports emerged that an “Islamic Emirate” had been declared in the eastern Libyan town of Darnah and that, furthermore, the alleged head of that Emirate, Abdul-Hakim al-Hasadi, was a former detainee at the American prison camp in Guantánamo. Well, al-Hasadi is not a former Gitmo [...]
Posted by John Rosenthal
For weeks as international pressure built against him, Muammar al-Gaddafi insisted again and again that the rebel forces that he was fighting in eastern Libya were linked to al-Qaeda. The mere fact that Gaddafi said it was seemingly enough for virtually all commentators to dismiss the claim out of hand. But the problem is that [...]
Posted by John Rosenthal
Not yet ten years after the 9/11 attacks, Western commentators, on both the Left and the Right, are making common cause with al-Qaeda. See my new post on the “Tatler” blog here.
