Tuesday, February 17, 2015
MICHAEL BURLEIGH: Slaughter on the shores of the Med... so close to resorts loved by Britons
They were marched along the pristine sands of the beach to the scene of their murder.
Twenty-one terrified souls, whose only crime was their faith, executed in such a barbaric manner the sea turned red.
The
world has been so transfixed by gruesome events in Iraq and Syria that
the developing Islamist threat in Libya has been largely ignored.
Shocking scene: Islamic State militants march Egyptian Coptic Christians in orange jumpsuits along a beach
Horrifying footage: The 21 Christian hostages are forced to kneel for their beheadings in the IS video
But
the beheading of the Coptic Christians who had come to Libya from Egypt
as guest workers will now serve as the most horrific wake-up call for
the West over what is unfolding on Europe’s doorstep.
For this medieval massacre did not take place in some far-off, fly-blown desert in Syria or Iraq.
It
happened on the shores of the Mediterranean, 180 or so miles south of
Crete, where Britons will be holidaying this summer. Britons who will be
closer to the ghouls of IS than they probably realise.
Ever
since the Western-backed overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in
October 2011, Libya has spiralled ever-deeper into violent, terrifying
chaos.
In a
cringe-making victory tour after Gaddafi had been killed, David Cameron
and Nicolas Sarkozy, the French leader at the time, arrived in the
Libyan capital Tripoli to be hailed as heroes who had delivered freedom
and democracy to the country.
Yet
the truth is that Libya has become a failed state, where murder and
tribal warfare are endemic, weaponry can be bought on every street
corner and the rule of law has long since disappeared.
Last
July, the Americans shut down their embassy in Tripoli because it was
too dangerous. A month later, Britain followed suit. And this weekend,
the Italians – Europe’s last ambassadorial presence in Libya – packed
their bags.
Into the vacuum have stepped gangsters, terrorists... and now IS.
On the beach: The medieval massacre
happened on the shores of the Mediterranean, 180 or so miles south of
Crete, where Britons will be holidaying this summer
Gruesome: The beheading of the Coptic
Christians who had come to Libya from Egypt as guest workers will now
serve as the most horrific wake-up call for the West over what is
unfolding on Europe’s doorstep
The
decision by Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to send in jet
fighters to bomb IS positions in Libya is not just a matter of
retribution, although the Egyptian people understandably demand it.
Al-Sisi
is rightly worried that Egypt faces an escalating threat from Islamic
terrorists on two fronts, not just from IS in Libya, but from its
affiliates in Sinai, the Egyptian peninsula next to Gaza and Israel,
where in recent months hundreds of Egyptian police and soldiers have
died in bombings.
Ever since the Western-backed
overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi (pictured) in 2011, Libya has
spiralled ever-deeper into violent, terrifying chaos
Again,
Western tourists snorkelling in the clear waters at Sharm el-Sheikh in
south Sinai may not quite understand how near they are to the barbarians
who have declared war on their way of life.
Egypt’s
airstrikes on IS in Libya may hinder the terrorists in the short term,
but whether its armed forces – which admittedly are impressive on paper –
can crush them is open to question.
In
the Libyan coastal town of Derna, where IS is based, the group’s black
banner flutters over the main mosque, and its roving police enforce
sharia law with beheadings and floggings.
For many years a hotbed of extreme Islamism, Derna supplied the bulk of Libyan jihadists who went to fight in Syria and Iraq.
Given
the power vacuum, many have now returned home sensing Libya as an
opportunity, and have pledged ‘their’ city’s allegiance to the IS caliph
– or leader – Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Al-Baghdadi is deliberately cultivating pledges like this to boost IS’s influence beyond its heartlands in Iraq and Syria.
His
global reach now encompasses northern Nigeria, where he enjoys the
support of terror group Boko Haram; the wild and lawless Sinai
peninsula; Afghanistan and Pakistan; and, we must not forget, his
sympathisers in Europe.
Just
as Afghanistan suited Osama bin Laden as a base, lawless Libya is
almost ideal for Baghdadi’s malign purpose, especially because of its
central geographical position, not to mention prodigious oil and gas
wealth.
One
US counter-terror expert bleakly described Libya as ‘Scumbag
Woodstock’, comparing the way drug-taking hippies were drawn to the huge
US open air pop concert of the 1960s to the way Libya is attracting a
vast, armed camp of jihadists from neighbouring countries whose
governments are making it difficult for them to operate.
Cringe-making victory tour: After
Gaddafi had been killed, David Cameron (above) and Nicolas Sarkozy
arrived in Tripoli to be hailed as heroes who had delivered freedom and
democracy to Libya
Airstrike: The decision by Egypt’s
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to send in jet fighters to bomb IS
positions in Libya is not just a matter of retribution, although the
Egyptian people understandably demand it
The country borders Algeria and Tunisia in the west and Egypt in the east, all long-term IS targets for Islamist subversion.
In
the south, Libya abuts the vast majority-Muslim states of Chad and
Niger. These provide easy access to Mali, Mauritania – both Muslim
countries – and Nigeria, whose north is mainly Muslim.
The
combination of Libya’s vast supply of weapons – the country is awash
because Gaddafi and then Nato flooded it with arms – and all but
non-existent border controls means it has become the primary supplier of
illicit arms in the world.
Western
tourists snorkelling in the clear waters at Sharm el-Sheikh in south
Sinai may not quite understand how near they are to the barbarians who
have declared war on their way of life
UN
experts said last year that Libya’s weapons, including shoulder-fired
missiles, have been trafficked to at least 14 countries.
Meanwhile, there’s little prospect of a resolution to the chaos.
The
country has two rival governments, based loosely on two historic
Ottoman provinces: Cyrenaica in the east, and Tripolitania in the west,
though in truth, each town is virtually a law unto itself.
The desert in the south west, meanwhile, has slipped into general lawlessness.
It is the internationally recognized regime of prime minister Abdullah al-Thinni that is based in the east.
For
security reasons, its House of Representatives meets not in a
parliamentary building but on board a heavily defended Greek car ferry
in Tobruk harbour.
Al-Thinni enjoys the support of a former Gaddafi-era general, Khalifa Haftar, who has vowed to crush the Islamists.
His
immediate enemies are the rival government in the west, which controls
much of Tripoli and is run by the Islamist party Libya Dawn.
Destroyed buildings: For many years a
hotbed of extreme Islamism, Derna (above, pictured yesterday) supplied
the bulk of Libyan jihadists who went to fight in Syria and Iraq
Leader: Lawless Libya is almost ideal
for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s malign purpose, especially because of its
central geographical position, not to mention prodigious oil and gas
wealth
Several
conservative Arab governments, notably the United Arab Emirates, are so
fearful of violent Islamists as they extend their grip on Libya that
they have sent fighters to bomb them but have kept quiet about their
military actions.
In response the Islamists bombed their embassies in Tripoli.
Yet this drastically simplified account does not begin to describe the anarchy that has engulfed Libya.
Real
power lies in the hands of 1,700 armed militias with vast arsenals who
are on the public payroll – and most of whom signed up after the fall of
Gaddafi simply to get a salary.
The
borders are non existent, which means Libya’s section of the
Mediterranean coast has become an open door for asylum seekers seeking
access to Europe.
Last
week, 2,000 migrants were rescued by Italian coastguards from
Kalashnikov-wielding traffickers as they headed for Italy in overcrowded
boats.
Truly, the consequence of the West’s ‘liberation’ of Libya in 2011 have been far-reaching.
But
I wonder whether Mr Cameron, as he watches IS thrive in the anarchy,
remains quite as ‘proud’ of delivering freedom and democracy as he once
declared himself to be.
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