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By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 30 December 2015:
A major verbal domestic and tit-for-tat has broken out between two military groups – IS . . .[restrict]and Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council (BRSC) – operating in Libya for moral leadership of the battle against the ‘‘non-believing agents of the West’’.
BRSC is in coalition with Ansar Al-Sharia in fighting against Commander-in-Chief Khalifa Hafter’s forces in Benghazi representing the Libyan National Army of the House of Representatives.
The BRSC had released a statement earlier this month in which it stated that it had led IS in fighting the ‘‘non-believing agents of the West’’.
IS in its reply statement yesterday lambasted BRSC’s ‘‘fear’’ in announcing its political stance clearly. It said that the BRSC fears announcing its clear position towards Libya Dawn, the GNC, and the Tripoli-based government in case they ‘‘cut off their supply to you of medicines, food, ammunition, trips to Istanbul and apartments in Tripoli’’.
The claim seems to be an internal indictment by IS of not only the BRSC but also of Libya Dawn, the GNC, the Tripoli-based Salvation Government as well as Turkey. It suggests at a cosy relationship between the above long claimed by the only internationally recognized government of Abdullah Thinni.
It will be recalled that the Tripoli-based GNC-Libya Dawn supported Salvation Government publicly announced its support for the BRSC back in April this year.
The Thinni government subsequently released a statement condemning this open support. It had said that it ‘’condems the so-called salvation government in Tripoli for its ‘’clear support for terror groups’’ that have been ‘’killing young and old, men and women’’ in eastern Libya since the 2011 revolution.
The Thinni government statement said that this open support simply confirms its long held view that the so-called salvation government is ‘’but the face of terror groups’’ and ‘’their official sponsor’’ that has finally ‘’exposed its face’’.
In its statement, the Tripoli-based Salvation government had called the BRSC ‘’heroes’’ who’s sacrifices it ‘’values’’. It added that it was ‘’committed to providing the full support to the BRSC in their battle to free their city’’
Furthermore, the Salvation government had confirmed that it ‘’only views (the BRSC) as a coalition of the main anti Qaddafi brigades of Benghazi that stood up to Qaddafi in 2011’’.
Today, the Salvation government statement had continued, ‘’sees them as those who are today standing up to the failed coup attempt that is being marketed by the remnants of the former Qaddafi regime under the name of Karama (dignity) in the east and west of the country’’.
The Salvation government had added that ‘’It is committed to fully supporting the BRSC forces in their liberation battle to free their city and elimination of their criminal conquerors until stability returns to it and life returns to normal’’.
It will be recalled that the latest UNSC Resolution 2259 on Libya passed on 23 December on the Libyan Political Agreement and its Government of National Accord signed in Skhirat, Morocco empowers the UN to take action against terror groups.
Article 11 requests the specific committee formed to come up with a list of individuals, groups, undertakings and entities in Libya associated with ISIL, Al-Qaida or Ansar Al Sharia.
It is noteworthy, however, that whilst the group Ansar Al Sharia are named in the UNSC resolution, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC) or the Derna Mujahidine Shura Council (DMSC) nor other Libyan groups are specifically named in the resolution. [/restrict]
