We've Just Put the Taliban in Power in Libya

Despite being ignored by almost everyone, an extraordinary development occurred this week in Libya. This excellent piece of NY Times journalism lays bare what is really going on in there. It ain't pretty - but wholly expected.

To put it short, Libya is well on its way to turning into Saudi Arabia or Iran - an Islamic Republic. The once hidden split between the radical Islamists and the more secular liberals has become became very public and already it seems clear who will be calling shots very soon (hint: if you were US educated and a secularist, it ain't good).

In the emerging post-Qaddafi Libya, the most influential politician may well be Ali Sallabi (Muslim Brotherhood cleric linked to the LIFG)...The most powerful military leader is now Abdel Hakim Belhaj, the former leader of a hard-line group once believed to be aligned with Al Qaeda...a Muslim Brotherhood figure, Abel al-Rajazk Abu Hajar, leads the Tripoli Municipal Governing Council, where Islamists are reportedly in the majority...

Mr. Belhaj has become so much an insider lately that he is seeking to unseat Mahmoud Jibril, the American-trained economist who is the nominal prime minister of the interim government, after Mr. Jibril obliquely criticized the Islamists...“Jibril will be gone soon,” one aide to Mr. Belhaj said.

Fathi Ben Issa, a former Etilaf (powerful Islamist grouping issuing directives now) member who became an early representative on the Tripoli council, said he quit his position after learning that the Muslim Brotherhood members who dominate that body wanted to ban theater, cinema and arts like sculpture of the human form. “They were like the Taliban,” he said...The final straw, he said, came when Etilaf began circulating a proposed fatwa, or decree, to bar women from driving.

So the people in charge of the most important "council" in this new Libya are nuts like the Taliban and the most important military man is the leader of an Al-Qaeda affiliate/terrorist group? Since Islamists are predicted to win a majority in elections, "liberals" are already calling for a delay before any vote.

Job well done NATO. Die to kill Taliban-like Muslim fundamentalists in Afghanistan. Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, etc - and also die to put them in power in Libya. It's about to get confusing. How long before you have to begin "operations" against these "partners in arms" - NATO and Libyan Islamists.