Libya: Why Are We Ignoring The Al-Qaeda Links To the Anti-Government Rebels?

Osama Bin Laden was a wanted man well before the 9/11 attacks, before the attack on the USS Cole and before the US Embassy bombings in east Africa. Bin Laden was first named a wanted man in 1998 by no other than Libyan leader Gaddafi.

Bin Laden was on Gaddafi’s radar well befor 9/11

On March 16, 1998, five months before the al Qaeda bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the Libyan Ministry of Justice named Bin Laden as the main suspect in a double murder that had taken place in the Libyan town of Sirte four years earlier. The warrant was forwarded to Interpol in France, where it was formalised on April 15, 1998.

Al Qaeda hasn’t stopped meddling in Libya’s affairs since then. In face, the rebel’s army fighting Gaddafi’ss forces now, is spearheaded by Al-Qaeda terrorists who are supposedly the target of a multi-decade “war on terror” that is now in its tenth year and has cost the US trillions of dollars. Just a few weeks ago a militia group with Islamist tendencies has been accused of assassinating the Libyan rebel military commander Abdel Fattah Younes, raising concerns about loose discipline within rebel groups and the emergence of extremist groups.

But for some reason the US is turning a blind eye to Al Qaeda’s involvement with the rebels. In addition to supporting the rebels at war through Nato’s African offensive, the US has allowed the Libyans rebels to take over Libya’s embassy in the US. This actually gives Al Qaeda a diplomatic foot base in the US – an unprecedented move.

The American people are not blind to the terror connections of the rebels. Inside the U.S., polls show only 30 percent support for the war on Libya. The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have failed to pass any resolutions endorsing the war, even though both legislative branches have approved funding for its continuation.

Gaddafi is no saint and its regime has its fair share of problems. But is supporting Al Qaeda backed rebels the answer? Will it lead to peace and stability or is Al Qaeda playing the west once again?