The snake is preparing to return .. Will Libya become a platform of the alleged “Daesh caliphate”?

Shaimaa Hefzy

The researchers of terrorist organizations have turned to search for what might be called the “new outlet”, which Daesh might appear with its brutal face again. Suggesting Libya as the most dangerous outlets, most notably the possibility of being the new starting point for the return of Daesh.

According to several security and press reports, Libya has become a hotbed of safe haven for Daesh fighters who have started to turn to it, with the organization losing ground in both Syria and Iraq. Concerns have been growing among the Daesh fighters in Libya since 2015, but the situation is now represents a  big threat.

In 2016, the former US deputy secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, said the United States was concerned about indications that the militant Boko Haram group, sending fighters to join the ranks of the Libyan “Daesh”, in an increasingly cooperation between both sides.

And Boko Haram, which began a seven-year rebellion in northern Nigeria, announced the establishment of the Daesh organization in 2015 and began strategic cooperation with the organization’s branch in Libya.

In an article published in the US newspaper The Dallas News, Frank T. Kreiza says that the chaos in Libya that followed the Arab Spring and after all these years has made Libya a safe haven for the leaders of the “Daesh” organization fleeing the defeat by US forces in Iraq Syria.

Kreiza, a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London, said the organization had taken control of large parts of Libyan territory and that it was the 16th state of concern to the Pentagon, where US forces were involved in fighting the organization there.

The writer says that Daesh is already responsible for some parts of Libya, a country with a large oil reserves, and there are likely to be many billions of barrels of oil, has not been discovered, and with the absence of a central government in the country, this oil will be subject for the capture of local militias.

He notes that the United States and Europe have a role in the chaos in Libya, as the Americans and Europeans were unable to provide efficient leadership to replace Muammar Gaddafi.

Access to accurate information about the capital Tripoli has become more difficult since 2011, and CIA estimates indicate that between 20,000 and 30,000 Daesh fighters are still in Libya.

On November 13, 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of Daesh organization, announced his acceptance of pledges of allegiance from supporters in Libya. Baghdadi saw a new phase in which the organization benefited, and hundreds of billions of petrodollars still on the ground.

A member of the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London said the situation in Libya is now more chaotic, warning of an unpleasant surprise that could soon explode by declaring that Libya is no longer Libya and that it will be what the writer called the headquarters of the Sunni Caliphate.

“We are already involved in fighting against Daesh in Syria and Iraq, but if we do nothing, Libya will cease to exist as a state,” Kreiza added.

Concerns about the spread of Daesh in Libya, as a crucial point for the organization’s strong presence, are growing as a starting point. Many see it as suitable point for attacking Europe, according to a report by the British the Sun.