Erdogan creates complex situation in western Libya to give rise to ISIS, bargain over Tripoli

In light of the situation in Libya and the struggle of the armed
militias loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) to survive, ISIS is
heading to establish its presence in western Libya under the supervision of
Turkey, which had previously sent terrorist mercenaries from Syria to Libya to
fight alongside the GNA.
Western presence
ISIS took advantage of the conflict between the GNA militias
to establish its presence in western Libya, especially in the Sabratha area
located 80 km to the west of the capital Tripoli, where it once again occupied
the Baraem camp, where ISIS members raised the black flags of the terrorist organization
to confirm their presence in the city, which had previously been seized by ISIS
in 2015 before being liberated in 2017.
Protecting Erdogan
ISIS terrorists move freely between Libya’s western cities,
such as Zawiya, Sorman, Sabratah, Zawara, Tripoli and the western mountains
region, under the protection of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who
gave ISIS a green light to sow its terrorist activity in western Libya. But
this situation poses a threat to its neighbors, especially Tunisia and Algeria,
as well as to European countries, whose media outlets have begun to address the
risks of terrorism from western Libya on their security and stability.
According to MP Ali al-Takbali, member of the parliament’s Defense
and National Security Committee, ISIS began spreading throughout Tripoli and
other western cities, with plans to announce the emirate soon. The region has
turned into a gathering spot for ISIS members of different nationalities,
including those sent by the Turkish regime from northern Syria, whether Syrians
or other nationalities. They were joined by the remnants of the organization in
Libya who were fighting alongside the GNA forces against the Libyan National Army
(LNA) or were wandering in the desert after being expelled from the country’s east.
They are currently training in the Baraem camp in Sabratha.
Complex situation
The American think tank Gatestone Institute released a
report at the end of December 2019, confirming that the political instability
in Libya is giving way for ISIS to reorganize its ranks, while the sending of
Turkish forces contributes to complicating the situation there. The report
stressed that Libya is now one of the main hubs for future ISIS operations,
serving as compensation for the organization’s loss of land in Syria and Iraq,
and ISIS funds its activities through theft and kidnappings for ransom by
blackmailing Libyans and smuggling artifacts and other goods across the border.
Erdogan bets on terrorism
Meanwhile, Erdogan is using the card of ISIS in Libya to
ensure his own presence there as much as possible. The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights revealed that approximately 28 terrorists from Syria joined
mercenaries in Libya, especially members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and ISIS, and
they were flown by air to Libyan territory to support the armed militias
deployed in the capital and to take advantage of the armed conflict. So ISIS’s
presence in western Libya comes under the supervision of Turkey and Tripoli.
The process of sending Turkish-backed Syrian elements to
Libya opened the door for ISIS to establish its presence in the country. LNA
spokesman Major General Ahmed al-Mesmari had confirmed in December 2019 that
Turkish intelligence was transporting hundreds of the most dangerous ISIS,
al-Qaeda and HTS terrorists from Syria to Libya via Tunisia’s Djerba Airport
and Libya’s Misrata and Zuwara airports, as well as the western mountains.