Chaos in Libya: The Rising ISIS Threat to Europe
Libya is in chaos due to the
power vacuum left behind by the 2011 air campaign that removed former
Dictator Muammar Gaddafi – cities are in ruins and more than4,000 people
have been killed. Gadhafi’s weapon arsenal has fed the Syrian civil
war, and ISIS has thrived in Libya by exploiting the unsettled
political and military situation.
Libyan presence serves as a safe haven for ISIS from bombs being dropped in Iraq and Syria, and allows the terrorist group to be in closer proximity to Europe. This may also make it easier for ISIS to expand into neighboring African countries. Just 18 months ago ISIS had fewer than 1,000 followers in Libya – today that total has increased by five or six times.
The terrorist group’s immediate goal is to create a new caliphate in Libya, and it is trying to establish state-like institutions by taxing residents and setting up an administrative apparatus as it did in Syria and Iraq. According to intelligence officials, the main source of revenue for ISIS in Tripoli is taxation and extortion of fees from residents and businesses.
Obama Administration officials have admitted there has been a delay in military action in Libya because they are waiting for Tripoli to create a unified government. Diplomatic efforts are challenging without a stable government, as are military responses.
Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Libya will increase in priority because it serves as the center of new ISIS activity. Reconnaissance assets, mainly drones, are being utilized to gain a better understanding of unfolding patterns in the area.
In the meantime, ISIS has been creeping westward towards Tunisia – its government believes about 3,000 Tunisian nationals have joined ISIS in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. The road between Tripoli and Tunis has been blocked for months due to fighting among local militants. In response to the increasing conflict, the Tunisian government built a 125-mile wall and trench along its border with Libya and will use surveillance equipment to detect breaches.
ISIS is also linked to nuclear material, which concerns counterterrorism experts. Police discovered a film belonging to a man associated with ISIS targeting a researcher at a Belgian nuclear center that produces large amounts of radio isotopes.
Iraq announced that nuclear material has been seized by insurgents with potentially deadly intentions. Radiation poisoning and billions of dollars in financial losses would result if radio isotopes were used as a “dirty bomb” and detonated in a major city – a terrorist’s dream.
Libyan presence serves as a safe haven for ISIS from bombs being dropped in Iraq and Syria, and allows the terrorist group to be in closer proximity to Europe. This may also make it easier for ISIS to expand into neighboring African countries. Just 18 months ago ISIS had fewer than 1,000 followers in Libya – today that total has increased by five or six times.
The terrorist group’s immediate goal is to create a new caliphate in Libya, and it is trying to establish state-like institutions by taxing residents and setting up an administrative apparatus as it did in Syria and Iraq. According to intelligence officials, the main source of revenue for ISIS in Tripoli is taxation and extortion of fees from residents and businesses.
Obama Administration officials have admitted there has been a delay in military action in Libya because they are waiting for Tripoli to create a unified government. Diplomatic efforts are challenging without a stable government, as are military responses.
Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Libya will increase in priority because it serves as the center of new ISIS activity. Reconnaissance assets, mainly drones, are being utilized to gain a better understanding of unfolding patterns in the area.
In the meantime, ISIS has been creeping westward towards Tunisia – its government believes about 3,000 Tunisian nationals have joined ISIS in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. The road between Tripoli and Tunis has been blocked for months due to fighting among local militants. In response to the increasing conflict, the Tunisian government built a 125-mile wall and trench along its border with Libya and will use surveillance equipment to detect breaches.
ISIS is also linked to nuclear material, which concerns counterterrorism experts. Police discovered a film belonging to a man associated with ISIS targeting a researcher at a Belgian nuclear center that produces large amounts of radio isotopes.
Iraq announced that nuclear material has been seized by insurgents with potentially deadly intentions. Radiation poisoning and billions of dollars in financial losses would result if radio isotopes were used as a “dirty bomb” and detonated in a major city – a terrorist’s dream.
