Members of the Libyan pro-government forces, aim a weapon during their deployment in the Lamluda area, southwest of the city of Derna , Libya June 16, 2015. Reuters/Stringer
Reuters: Expulsion from Derna bastion may show limits for Islamic State in Libya
Islamic State jihadists have exploited widespread chaos to gain a foothold in Libya, but their ejection from an eastern city suggests they may not achieve a Iraq-style takeover due to strong local rivals and the absence of sectarian divisions.
Last month, local Islamist fighters reinforced by local civilians ousted Islamic State militants from Derna on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, one of two bastions the jihadists had established in the North African oil-producing country.
It was the first setback in Libya for the ultra-violent jihadist movement that has sent in combatants and clerics from Tunisia, Yemen and other Arab states to try repeat its success in Iraq and Syria, where it has captured vast territories and proclaimed a "caliphate" based on medieval religious precepts.
WNU Editor: Libya does not have the sectarian divisions that Iraq and Syria have .... tribal groups also have a bigger influence in Libya than in Syria and Iraq. But the Islamic State's radical ideology does (unfortunately) still have a certain appeal among many Libyans,and I suspect that even though the Islamic State is losing a number of battles, their support among this segment of the population is probably going to be around for a long time.
No comments:
Post a Comment