US ex-ambassador to Libya says Haftar's one-man show in eastern Libya destabilized Libya

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the Libyan situation and the US upcoming vision in Libya upon the request of the former US ambassador to Libya, Deborah Jones and the US expert on Libyan affairs, Frederic Wehrey.

 

The US expert Wehrey and the former ambassador Jones told the committee that the Libyan eastern commander, Khalifa Haftar, has failed to achieve his alleged war on terrorism, adding that his failure is one important reason why Libya is now unstable.

 

"We have not seen any active and essential role for Haftar in fighting terrorists like IS groups, but rather he himself allied with Madkhalists and Salafists." US former ambassador added.

 

Mr. Wherey added that Haftar is a threat to the Government of National Accord and he is a source of instability in the country, which the (GNA) itself could not control.

 

"Russian assistance, Egyptian and other regional support for Haftar's forces in eastern Libya have played a pivotal role in destabilizing Libya, especially that the Egyptians are afraid of seeing Muslim Brotherhood links taking power in Libya." The hearing's comments say.

 

Jones revealed at the Senate Hearing that the Gaddafi relatives with their piles of money are behind the moving of the House of Representatives to Tobruk, adding that the move is a preprepared plan before even violence started in Libya.

 

Answering a question by Senator Marco Rubio about whether or not the Benghazi Defense Brigades (BDB) are tied to Al-Qaeda, Jones and Wherey said that in general, the BDB have no links to Al-Qaeda or extremist groups and they are fighting to return their families to their houses in Benghazi.

 

"If there are any fighters among them that have links to Al-Qaeda, then those are very few and are not in senior leading positions." Wherey said and Jones seconded him.

 

Unlike what The US President Trump had said about having no role in Libya in the current crisis, the hearing stressed that the US should have a very leading and effective role in bringing stability to Libya, but not through any military actions.