(KUNA) -- The security situation in Libya is "very, very challenging"
from Benghazi in the east to Derna in the southwest, said US General
David Rodriguez, commander of US Africa Command, during a Pentagon
briefing on Tuesday.
The expansion of al-Qaida, its adherents and affiliates includes Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi and Derna, Rodriguez said during a Defense Department briefing on Africa.
The Libyan government has just changed out the prime minister, and Libyan institutions across the board "are very, very weak" after the reign of Moammar Gadhafi, Rodriguez said.
"It is going to be a long, hard road for the Libyans to figure out how to lead their way through this effort, to control the militias and to continue to build the institutions that are required to run that country," he said.
On the training mission of Libyan security forces, the multinational effort includes the Turkish, Italian, British, US and Moroccan militaries, he noted. But only the Turks and Italians have started training, "but it is too soon to tell how effective they will be," Rodriguez said.
Between northern Mali and southwestern Libya is a huge infiltration route for arms, ammunition and explosives that becomes a challenge for all the countries in the region, he said.
A significant number of jihadists throughout the region have headed to Syria, and not many have come back yet, Rodriguez said. All the governments are concerned about that, because they will come back with experience and better trained from the jihadis'''' perspective, he said.
"Libya would have had a tough time doing too much with those people returning just because of the current security situation," he noted.
"Algeria and Tunisia are much better. And, in fact, there have been some good things in Tunisia where they have prevented people from leaving. So they are all concerned about this throughout the entire region." Asked if the international community could have better foreseen the consequences of toppling Gadhafi in 2011, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Amanda Dory, who joined Rodriguez for the briefing, said, "I think it would be hard from the outside, given the state of our relationship that pertained then with Libya, to understand how devoid Libya was of institutions to be able to recover after Gadhafi''''s departure.
"My sense is that the amount of information available, as far as the ability of Libyan institutions to continue without Gadhafi, I think that that was underestimated, in terms of the ability to proceed forward without his very personalistic style of power," Dory said.
The work across border between northern Mali and southern Libya and the continuing destabilization there are "worse than would have been anticipated at the time," she said.
In Somalia, the ability of al-Shabaab to control large swaths and major cities has decreased significantly, but there is "still a long way to go to get the Somali national army and police to the level that they need to be and then, of course, the development of the Somali national government," Rodriguez said. (end) rm.hb
The expansion of al-Qaida, its adherents and affiliates includes Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi and Derna, Rodriguez said during a Defense Department briefing on Africa.
The Libyan government has just changed out the prime minister, and Libyan institutions across the board "are very, very weak" after the reign of Moammar Gadhafi, Rodriguez said.
"It is going to be a long, hard road for the Libyans to figure out how to lead their way through this effort, to control the militias and to continue to build the institutions that are required to run that country," he said.
On the training mission of Libyan security forces, the multinational effort includes the Turkish, Italian, British, US and Moroccan militaries, he noted. But only the Turks and Italians have started training, "but it is too soon to tell how effective they will be," Rodriguez said.
Between northern Mali and southwestern Libya is a huge infiltration route for arms, ammunition and explosives that becomes a challenge for all the countries in the region, he said.
A significant number of jihadists throughout the region have headed to Syria, and not many have come back yet, Rodriguez said. All the governments are concerned about that, because they will come back with experience and better trained from the jihadis'''' perspective, he said.
"Libya would have had a tough time doing too much with those people returning just because of the current security situation," he noted.
"Algeria and Tunisia are much better. And, in fact, there have been some good things in Tunisia where they have prevented people from leaving. So they are all concerned about this throughout the entire region." Asked if the international community could have better foreseen the consequences of toppling Gadhafi in 2011, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Amanda Dory, who joined Rodriguez for the briefing, said, "I think it would be hard from the outside, given the state of our relationship that pertained then with Libya, to understand how devoid Libya was of institutions to be able to recover after Gadhafi''''s departure.
"My sense is that the amount of information available, as far as the ability of Libyan institutions to continue without Gadhafi, I think that that was underestimated, in terms of the ability to proceed forward without his very personalistic style of power," Dory said.
The work across border between northern Mali and southern Libya and the continuing destabilization there are "worse than would have been anticipated at the time," she said.
In Somalia, the ability of al-Shabaab to control large swaths and major cities has decreased significantly, but there is "still a long way to go to get the Somali national army and police to the level that they need to be and then, of course, the development of the Somali national government," Rodriguez said. (end) rm.hb
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق