US Stages Two Raids – Libyan PM Wants Answers

Posted on Sunday, October 6, 2013 by Post Scripts

Abu Anas al-LibyPosted by Tina

The United States staged two commando raids in Africa early Saturday.

The first raid, launched in Barawe along the coast of Somalia, was in response to the recent terror attack at the Westgate Mall but was aborted after Navy Seals encountered fierce resistance. The target, associated with the terror organization al Shabab, was not found. Prime Minister Saiid released this statement: “We have collaboration with the world and with neighboring countries in the battle against al Shabab… our interest is to get a peaceful Somalia, free from terrorism.”

The second raid in Tripoli resulted in the capture of al Qaeda terrorists, Anas al-Liby pictured above. He’s a high level terror organizer wanted by the FBI since 2000 and is believed to be one of the masterminds behind the 1998 US embassy bombings that killed more than 220 people in Kenya and Tanzania. His real name is Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqa. He was indicted in New York following the embassy attacks and has been on the FBI’s most wanted list with a $5 million bounty on his head, He is currently being held outside of Libya in an undisclosed location.

Al-Liby’s son told the press that the men who captured his father “wore masks” and “looked Libyan and spoke a Libyan dialect”. Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid was quoted as saying: “Our co-operation with international partners on fighting against terrorism is not a secret.” However, a press release posted on the government’s webpage indicates the Libyan government has questions:

“Since we’ve heard, we have been in touch with the US government and have asked for clarification on this matter.

The Libyan government is keen on prosecuting any Libyan citizen inside Libya, no matter what the charges are… the accused are innocent until proven guilty.”

It sounds to me like the Prime Minister isn’t too happy about that “undisclosed location”.

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3 Responses to US Stages Two Raids – Libyan PM Wants Answers

  1. Tina says:
    Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 1:23 pm

    Good article at the Weekly Standard gives more background on al-Liby and suggest a few questions our government may be asking at that secure location:

    How often has al Libi been in contact with Zawahiri, or other senior members of al Qaeda in Pakistan or elsewhere? What has been the nature of al Libi’s contacts with Zawahiri?

    Were any of al Libi’s computers or other electronic media recovered during the raid? If so, what intelligence concerning al Libi’s ongoing al Qaeda activities can be found in his files?

    What role, if any, did al Libi play in the Benghazi terrorist attack?

    What was al Libi’s relationship with Ansar al Sharia Libya, the group involved in the assault in Benghazi? And what does he know about Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, the sister organization that stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on September 14, 2012?

    Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), an al Qaeda affiliate, has established camps in Libya. Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a longtime AQIM commander, set up his own al Qaeda organization in December 2012 and has also operated inside Libya. Some of the Benghazi attackers were in contact with Belmokhtar. What does al Libi know about AQIM’s and Belmokhtar’s operations?

    Muhammad Jamal al Kashef, an Egyptian who served as part of Zawahiri’s security detail in the 1990s, set up training camps inside Libya in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring. Some of Jamal’s trainees reportedly took part in the attack in Benghazi. Jamal, who has since been detained in Egypt, was in direct contact with Zawahiri in 2011 and 2012. What does al Libi know about Jamal’s activities?

    Another longtime al Qaeda operative, Faraj al Chalabi, was detained in Libya after returning from Pakistan. Chalabi is suspected of playing a role in the Benghazi assault. According to senior intelligence officials, Chalabi may have delivered intelligence from the U.S. diplomatic mission to senior al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan.

    What was al Libi’s relationship with Chalabi and what does he know about Chalabi’s putative role in the assault in Benghazi?

    Still another al Qaeda operative, Abd al Baset Azzouz, has worked closely with al Libi. Azzouz was identified as al Libi’s key ally inside Libya by the authors of “Al Qaeda in Libya: A Profile.” Azzouz was sent to Libya by Zawahiri and “has been operating at least one training center.” Azzouz “sent some of his estimated 300 men…to make contact with other militant Islamist groups farther west.”

    Naturally, Azzouz’s whereabouts and current job description are important avenues to explore in al Libi’s questioning.

    These questions represent the reason that capture and interrogation are important.

    Glad to see the President has decided that killing with drone strikes might not be the best way to wage an ongoing war on plotters of terror and world domination.

  2. Pie Guevara says:
    Monday, October 7, 2013 at 1:47 am

    I would like a few answers too.

  3. Heather says:
    Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 6:28 am

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