Political Islam in Post-Gaddafi Libya

[rug]

Could the failure of mainstream Islamist groups in Libya give anti-democratic and violent groups the space to breathe?

2 May 2013 - 1:43pm | By James Maxwell

ew people enjoy the distinction of having been both imprisoned by the US government for 'terrorist activities' and financed by it to fight a revolutionary insurgency. Sufian bin Qumu is one of them.

A former member of proscribed Libyan Islamic Fighting Group and then of the Taliban in Afghanistan, bin Qumu is believed to have been captured in 2001 shortly after 9/11. He was detained in Guantanamo Bay for a number of years before being transferred back to Libya in 2007. In 2010, bin Qumu was then released from Libyan prison as part of a dissident amnesty agreement with the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. Less than 12 months after that, he joined the Benghazi uprising, which received military and financial support from the US and other NATO powers. In the space of a few years, bin Qumu's relationship with the US swung dramatically from enemy to friend.

Over the last few months, the nature of bin Qumu’s relationship with Washington has shifted once again. The Islamist leader is strongly suspected of having been involved in the attack on the US embassy in September 2012 which resulted in the death of American ambassador Chris Stephens and three of his staff. Since then, Libyan authorities have launched a series of operations to capture (or recapture) bin Qumu. These proved unsuccessful until, in mid-April, bin Qumu was shot and then arrested by security forces while travelling as part of a convoy near the eastern city of Derna. He is currently in custody in the intensive care unit of a local hospital.

Unclear motives

The precise role played by bin Qumu in the US Embassy assault remains unclear. It is unlikely that he was actually present at the raid, but members of his group – Ansar al-Shariah – are widely thought to have been. Indeed, Washington places the burden of responsibility for Ambassador Stephen’s killing on the group’s shoulders.

http://thinkafricapress.com/libya/political-islam-post-gaddafi-libya

[leveymg]

1. Like al-Awlaki - another case of blowback from a CIA Catch and Release AQ double-agent program.

We never, ever, ever learn, but expect different results each time. The very definition of insanity.

It's like the Agency's memory is no longer than the beginning of the present Regime Change operation.

There have to be hundreds like them in Syria right now, waiting for some enterprising spook in Langley to be brought back in through Immigration and Customs for training, a pep talk, and a lifetime CIA retainer check.

Then, Boom. We couldn't have foreseen such a thing, again.