Libya Sees Anti-ISIS Intervention Possible
The power vacuum in the post-Gaddafi Libya has left the North African nation utterly ungovernable with various politico-militia factions competing for control. As chaos ensues, the Baghdadi-led ISIS/ISIL takes advantage of the situation and sets up a local franchise with the ultimate goal of seizing political power while other groups are cutting each other's throats in an ongoing civil war.
To neutralize the militant group's ideological and military reach in the Middle East and Africa, United States along with 22 other nations that formed the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL recently announced of a "renewed activity" which presumably includes military aid to enable Libyan leaders to form a transitional national unity government.
"And as everybody here knows, that country (Libya) has resources. The last thing in the world you want is a false caliphate with access to billions of dollars of oil revenue. So it means we need to push full speed ahead with training security personnel and we need to ensure that there is a decisive military edge not just to clear territory but to create a safe environment for a government to begin to stand up and operate," remarked Secretary of State John Kerry as quoted saying by CNBC.
As the West remains bogged down in the Syrian conflict, Libya is increasingly becoming an ISIS jumping board to other countries in Africa. Since a political solution is nowhere in sight, forging a united Libya for the first time without Gaddafi is a tall order especially with ISIS' recent arrival in the country.
"IS has become a force to be reckoned with in Libya, and any attempt to set up a unity government is doomed to fail unless a clear military plan to fend it off is devised in parallel," said a Jordanian intelligence official as quoted by Breitbart News.
Libya is now a major political concern for US and Europe. Apart from humanitarian crisis happening in the country, military options are currently on the table to enforce a highly elusive peace and stability.
For Europe, the situation in Libya is of direct interests to European countries. Also, the Libyan conflict is partly responsible to the explosive migrant crisis resulting from civil wars that lead many people to brave the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean just to reach Europe as mentioned in a report by USA Today.
