ISIS, Gen. Hifter’s Forces Both Attacking Libya ‘Unity’ Govt Simultaneously

Officials Accuse Egypt of Carrying Out Airstrikes

A week after fighting broke out in Tripoli between the “unity” government and the Tripoli Parliament, two of the three self-proclaimed governments in the country, the unity government is facing further attacks on several fronts, with every major force in the country hitting them at once.

This morning, unity government territory was attacked by unidentified warplanes, and a few hours later, Gen. Khaliifa Hifter’s Libya National Army (LNA), loyal to the Tobruk Parliament, the third would-be government, started attacking in earnest. The fighting was in Jufra, in central Libya.

At the same time, ISIS started attacking the unity government in nearby areas, apparently hoping to use the confusion from the current fights to seize some easy territory. With so many enemies targeting them at once, the unity government, which is endorsed by the US and is one of a couple of UN-endorsed governments within Libya, is clearly on its heels.

It may be getting worse, as the unity government is claiming that Egypt’s Air Force is participating in the attacks, accusing them of attacking “the same forces that defeated ISIS in Sirte last year.” Egypt has not confirmed this specific involvement, though they’ve been active in Libya recently.

It’s also wholly plausible, as Egypt’s military junta has long favored Hifter, who has attempted coups of his own in recent years, and still has ambitions of being the nation’s military ruler. It would not be shocking for them to try to support Hifter’s military gains.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.