The lifg drew regional support from those who supported the sanusi monarchy, which ruled libya between 1951 and 1969. In a bitter irony, the libya islamic fighting group lifg was listed until june 2011 by the united nations security council as a bona fide terrorist organization. It was created in 1995 by libyans who had fought in afghanistan and had plotted against the government of libya. Although islamists are present in the newlyelected general national congress, they are just one force among many competing in the political. Libyan islamic fighting group a libyan terrorist group organized in 1995 and aligned with alqaeda. Lifg did not officially announce its formation until 1995, but the roots of the group can be found in an underground. In the matter of the designation of the libyan islamic. Former emir of the libyan islamic fighting group who is now a leader of libyas salafist alwatan political party. Harati is now commanding a libyan brigade operating inside of syria attempting to destroy the syrian government and. Libya the washington institute for near east policy. Libyan islamic fighting group united nations security. Libyan islamic fighting group lifg terrorist groups trac.
Libyan islamic fighting group lifg, also known as fighting islamic group, libyan fighting group, libyan islamic group, lifg, aljamaa alislamiyyah almuqatilah, aljamaa alislamiyyah almuqatilah bilibya, libyan islamic movement name changed in 2011, alharakat alislamiya allibiya, the libyan islamic killing group is an active group formed c. Libyan islamic fighting group lifg was removed from the list of proscribed groups in november 2019 following receipt of an application to deproscribe the organisation. The sanabal charitable committee is considered a fund raising front for the libyan islamic fighting group. The battle between the fighting islamic group and the libyan regime from the tactical and practical level relies on armed activity, that is, jihad in the path of allah. Libyan islamic fighting group lifg aljamaah alislamiyyah almuqatila nefa senior investigator evan f. Apr 08, 2011 as the crisis in libya has unfolded in recent weeks, there has been concern over potential links between rebel fighters and alqaeda affiliated groups. Ohio department of public safety division of homeland security terrorist exclusion list as of july 20, 2006 u. The decision to return passports to the jihadists and to allow them to fly to libya via uk airports was taken when the current tory prime minister, theresa may. Libyan islamic fighting group lifg moroccan islamic combatant group gicm mujahedine khalq organization mek national liberation army eln palestine liberation front plf. The lifg drew regional support from those who supported the sanusi monarchy, which ruled. Coalition attacks are ongoing against those libyan ground force units that continue to besiege oppositionheld towns and against targets supporting operations by those libyan military units. Libyan islamic fighting group joins al qaeda fdds long. Decades earlier their father was a member of the libyan islamic fighting group lifg that was proscribed by the british government as a terrorist group until last year.
Al qaeda may already be among libyas rebels cbs news. Aug 28, 2011 in a bitter irony, the libya islamic fighting group lifg was listed until june 2011 by the united nations security council as a bona fide terrorist organization. At least 12 individuals subject to control orders were suspected of having direct and indirect connections with the alqaeda connected libyan islamic fighting group, an antigaddafi islamist militant group. Ohio department of public safety division of homeland security.
The lifg seeks to replace the current libyan regime with a hardline islamic state. The differences of each human civilization have been observed ever since the ancient times. Moreover, islamic combatant libyan hereby group claims blessed jihadists actions that have been happening everywhere in libya since june. Therefore, i hereby determine that the designation of the libyan islamic fighting group as a foreign terrorist organization, pursuant to section 219 of the immigration and nationality act, as amended 8 u. Libyan islamic fighting group archives egypt independent. Under the programme, hundreds of convicted members of the libyan islamic fighting group lifg, an alqaida affiliate, have been freed and pardoned. The libyan people, however, appeared to buck the trend of the arab spring by not electing an islamist1 parliament. The libyan islamic fighting group lifg, also known as aljamaa alislamiyyah almuqatilah bilibya arabic. Libya rebels rejects gaddafis alqaida spin world news. Former cia officer bruce riedel took things a step further, telling the hindustan times.
The libyan, codenamed tunworth, proposed establishing links with the libyan islamic fighting group lifg, an organisation formed in afghanistan in 1990 from around 500 libyan jihadists then fighting the sovietbacked government. The libyan islamic fighting group lifg also known as aljamaa alislamiyyah almuqatilah bilibya is the most powerful radical faction waging jihad against colonel moammar alqadhafi. The manchester bomber salman abedi was too young to fight in libya but his father did, joining the libyan islamic fighting group. Meanwhile, a heterogeneous referable attributable attributableabsolute of this al qaeda network is the lifg or the libyan islamic opposed order. Uk government harbored terrorists linked to manchester blast.
The libyan islamic fighting group lifg was a sunni opposition group and designated militant organization established to overthrow muammar elqaddafis government in libya. Libyan islamic fighting group has close ties with al qaeda, which means they have close ties with the cia. Imprisoned al qaedalinked individuals and members of the libyan islamic fighting group lifg played a fundamental role in the reconstitution of an al qaedalinked presence and networks inside the country after they were released from libyas notorious abu salim prison in 2011. During the libyan conflict in 2011 the british government was in. Libyan islamic fighting g roup lifg the lifg is an islamic terrorist group that opposes colonel muammar qaddafis regime and has been active since 1995. One of the most prominent was the watan party led by abdelhakim belhadj, the former leader of the libyan islamic fighting group who was imprisoned under qaddafi. Facebook sites of ansar alsharia in libya and the group in tunisia appear similar in design and content and also share contacts, suggesting coordination between the groups.
Libyan islamic fighting group 87% of egyptian men believe womens basic role is to be housewives. The group receives funding, training, equipment, and combat support from alqaida, qjbr, and other international jihadist backers throughout the world. Sep 27, 2016 bin mohammed pointed to the example of the libyan islamic fighting group lifg, whose members have forged alliances with islamist political parties in libya. This is a group that basically carried arms to topple gaddafis regime. Bin mohammed pointed to the example of the libyan islamic fighting group lifg, whose members have forged alliances with islamist political parties in libya. The libyan islamic fighting group was officially welcomed into the al qaeda fold by al qaedas second in command ayman al zawahri and al qaeda in afghanistan commander abu laith al libi in a statement released on the internet. In june 2011, all of the entities included in the table above were delisted by the united nations security council committee. Among them was abd albaset azzouz, a fatheroffour from manchester, who left britain to run a terrorist network in libya overseen by ayman alzawahiri, osama bin ladens successor as.
Human delivered into enemy hands human rights watch. As of today many terrorist groups are very evident from the west to the east. Libyan mahdi alharati of the us state department, united nations, and the uk home office page 5. Libya held elections in 2012 for the general national congress, the centerpiece of new parliamentary rule.
Salvation of libya, the muslim brotherhood, the libyan islamic fighting group, and various salafi currents and a north africa. The accompanying government list pdf states explicitly regarding lifg that. There are also domestic and international financial asset freezing sanctions regimes that. Manchester alleged suicide bomber linked to libya islamic. Libyan islamic fighting group synonyms, libyan islamic fighting group pronunciation, libyan islamic fighting group translation, english dictionary definition of libyan islamic fighting group. Islamist militants comprising former members of the libyan islamic fighting group lifg and other radical movements, as well as jihadists who spent time in iraq and afghanistan, played key roles in the effort to bring down the qadhafi regime. Lifg libyan islamic fighting group nato north atlantic treaty organization opec organization of the petroleum exporting countries tsctp transsaharan counter terrorism partnership uae.
This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the lifg. The nofly zone called for in resolution 1973 is in place and is being enforced see figure 1 above. Bushs post911 war on terror and was harshly interrogated. Department of state list of designated foreign terrorist organizations 1. A lot of jihadists that had been locked up by the regime were. A coalition of islamist militias in benghazi, currently fighting operation dignity forces, that was established in june 2014. There is no question that al qaedas libyan franchise, libyan islamic fighting group, is a part of the. Al qaeda continues to consolidate its organization in northern africa. One group, the libyan fighting group, claimed to have afghan veterans in its ranks, a reference to mujahedeen who took part in the ciabacked antisoviet war in afghanistan in the 1980s, as. Harati is now commanding a libyan brigade operating inside of syria attempting to destroy the syrian government and subjugate the syrian population.
One such group is the libyan islamic fighting group lifg. Uk admits possible contact with exterror group, who. Was the manchester bomb blowback from britains war. Libyan islamic movement alharakat alislamiya allibiya formerly known as the libyan islamic fighting group lifg also known as aljamaa alislamiyyah almuqatilah bilibya arabic. The fighting islamic group federation of american scientists. The libyan islamic fighting group lifg the dominant islamist group that challenged the qadhafi regime was the libyan islamic fighting group lifg. This stunning revelation was posted online in a written response to a parliamentary question. They dont have any intention of fighting the west or europe. Militants participated in the 2011 libyan civil war as the libyan islamic movement alharakat alislamiya allibiya, and are involved in the libyan civil war as members of the libya.
The group is also part of the wider global islamist extremist movement, as inspired by al qaida. Usbacked terrorists murder us own ambassador in libya. Britain, qadafi and the libyan islamic fighting group. Brotherhood or formerly libyan islamic fighting group or others, were on the side of the tripoli government, and a minority of islamists, mainly from the salafimadkhali trend and former. Libyan islamic fighting group definition of libyan. Benotman also was a leader of the libyan islamic fighting group but left the organization prior to the 2011 revolution. Update august 12, 2012 it was recently pointed out that the libyan islamic fighting group lifg currently arming, funding, and commanding entire brigades of the socalled free syrian army fsa is designated an al qaeda affiliate by the united nations pursuant to resolutions 1267 1999 and 1989 2011, in addition to being listed by both. Nevertheless, they are still the same group in libya and has the same mission with the predecessor.
Libyan islamic fighting group assignment research writer. Policy briefing may 2012 libyan islamists unpacked. Minister of state for the middle east at the uk foreign office alistair burt has admitted that london may have contacted members of the libyan islamic fighting group and february 17 th martyrs brigade during the conflict in libya. Libya and the manchester connection libya al jazeera. Kohlmann with nefa senior analyst josh lefkowitz october 2007 this document is based upon an expert witness report filed on behalf of the scotland yard so15 counter terrorism command and the united. This determination shall be published in the federal register. Through provision of intelligence and funding by the cia, and with backing of nato troops, the libyan islamic fighting group is free to do as they please and they sure take advantage of it. One of the most prominent terrorist groups is the al qaeda network but was debunked in the early days of 20112012. During his time in libya, ramadan abedi was also known to be part of the libyan islamic fighting group, which was also known as muqtalla group. The terrorist actions of the libyan islamic fighting group are still continuing, even if under a different name, he said.
Chapter 6 terror groups united states department of state. Lifg did not officially announce its formation until 1995, but the roots of the group can be found in an underground jihadi movement formed in 1982 by iwad alzawawi. Today, with grace from god, the muslim nation witnesses a blessed step, zawahiri stated. Shortly after the 9 11 attacks, lifg was banned worldwide. Militants participated in the 2011 libyan civil war as the libyan islamic movement alharakat alislamiya allibiya, and are. Islamist militant groups in postqadhafi libya combating. However, as you are aware, the word jihad in the path of allah is a broad and general term. The time has come for the combatant libyan islamic group to become a public movement, rather than a secret one, in the lig projects in libya. The differences of each rational culture own been observed eternally. They own contrariant views with the alqaeda excluding some totalegations declare that they are united. Islamic jihad union iju islamic movement of uzbekistan imu jaishemohammed jem jemaah ansharut tauhid jat jemaah islamiya ji jundallah kahane chai kataib hizballah kh kurdistan workers party pkk lashkar etayyiba lashkar i jhangvi lj liberation tigers of tamil eelam ltte libyan islamic fighting group lifg. The libyan islamic fighting group lifg is an alqaida qde. Ai also has operational and logistic support cells in europe. Use our search engine to discover peoples, companies and topics covered by africa intelligence.
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