US President Barack Obama has ordered the extension for another month bombing of Libya against the Islamic Republic. The mission, which began on August 1, had a life expectancy of thirty days, but, as yet Sirte, the Libyan capital of the Caliphate, was not released, the White House on September 1 announced the decision on the extension of the mission (hence the name "Odyssey Lightning" was given).
Not a big failure for Washington, although both American commanders and the Libyans on the field announced immediately that Sirte would fall in a short time ( "matter of days"). It was expected that air strikes could be extended at least to manage the transition phase after the liberation, however, that there has not been yet, although a couple of weeks ago it announced the imminent day by day.
Now here we go again, on Thursday started the assault on the so-called District 3, where the last baghdadisti remain holed up, now without hope, in a defense of the positions that will lead to their martyrdom and subsequent celebrations. So they have little to lose and will fight until the end, wedged between the sea behind and mouths fiery militia from Misrata of Bunyan campaign to Marsous front. Between Sunday and Monday, for example, in other of those days which were to mark the final assault and the final reconquest, Misurata reported fifty dead and a couple of hundreds of wounded, increasing the budget to 470 Libyan militiamen killed and more than two thousand injured. They started six thousand and three thousand now remained, decimated by booby traps that haunt Sirte, by suicide bombers and counter-actions that come from outside the town circle and leading to the assumption that beyond the resistance in that last quarter, the Islamic state in Libya still has an operating presence.
Yet Sirte is the testimony that after all the hybrid strategy designed by the United States to counter the Islamic state is functioning, although it has weaknesses.
American allies bring the bombers, drones that follow from the movements of the enemy and some consultant to the ground while locals place the boots on the ground.
This type of attack is the same to the other two capitals of DAESH-state. If the military system, despite a campaign by now reached the fifth month (despite initial forecasts), proceeds, the political aspect is in complete deadlock. Fayez Serraj , the prime minister who should lead the country according to the plans and agreements closed by UN and Western nations in December 2015, does not have the political consensus necessary and required some complicated rules included in those agreements, inserted not to upset anyone of local actors.
That is to say that to take account of the fact that in East is a political-military body that is simplified journalistically in the person of General freelance Khalifa Haftar ("self-styled savior" calls Bloomberg , with one of best definitions in recent times) but that implies the open UAE and Egyptian support and indirectly that of Saudi Arabia, the underground French support, and the even more devious of Russia, which moves Libyan crisis without showing its cards.
The eastern parliament headquarters in Tobruk, which has the ambition to legislate on the country (and therefore of all economic asset including sovereign fund and oil wells) due to fact it was the legitimate elected, would have to vote confidence in Serraj as part the national reconciliation process, but after months of meetings skipped for lack of a quorum, when on August 22 has reached a sufficient number of participants has instead discouraged by its negative opinion about the executive's list given by Seraj. An ambush that has undermined GNA (Government of National Accord) construction.
UN envoy to handle the crisis could not help but pick up the pieces of Tobruk vote and ask Serraj to work on a new proposal to be submitted soon to the politicians of Cyrenaica.
Serraj on Thursday, after four months of waiting, appointed the commander and two deputies of the Presidential Guard.
Wednesday to try to get more popular support the future PM went to Sirte. The easternmost of his movements since Libya (Cyrenaica, if he entered, perhaps arrest him or worse) visited the Ouagadougou center, the former headquarters of the Islamic state in the coastal town, met with commanders on the ground, arguing that "the battle ISIS is a symbol of unity and is a project that involves all Libyans''.
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