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ISIS Likely Involved in Suicide Attack Targeting Libyan Army Post

Smoke rises following an air strike as Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government gather after they captured a new area from Islamic State militants in Sirte, Libya, October 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Smoke rises following an air strike as Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government gather after they captured a new area from Islamic State militants in Sirte, Libya, October 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
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ISIS Likely Involved in Suicide Attack Targeting Libyan Army Post

Smoke rises following an air strike as Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government gather after they captured a new area from Islamic State militants in Sirte, Libya, October 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Smoke rises following an air strike as Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government gather after they captured a new area from Islamic State militants in Sirte, Libya, October 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny

Three National Libya Army soldiers were killed on Wednesday in a suicide attack targeting a military checkpoint in Al Jafrah city, some 650 km southeast Tripoli.

Brigadier Ahmad al-Mesmari, spokesman for the National Army, said that the blast targeted a gate belonging to the 127th Infantry Battalion, resulting in the death of three soldiers, in addition to the injury of two others.

An officer in Jafrah’s operations room pointed out that “a suicide bomber driving a car bomb detonated a military checkpoint at the western Jafrah city entrance.”

The official did not rule out ISIS involvement in the attack.

"We do not rule out ISIS involvement in the attack, given that their left-behind militants are located between Jafrah and Sirte," around 450 kilometers east of Tripoli.

US President Donald Trump’s administration made classified calls with the Libyan parliament and the head of the Libyan National Army Marshal Khalifa Hafter, as United Nations Mission in Libya head Ghassan Salame continues his efforts to save the chance of a political solution in Libya, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Libyan sources confirmed that a meeting was held a few days ago in one of the Arab capitals, bringing together a senior Libyan parliament official and an American delegation.

A source close to Marshal Khalifa Hafter told Asharq Al-Awsat, speaking under the condition of anonymity, that undeclared US contacts with Libyan authorities running eastern Libya are not necessarily part of a possible mediation project the US plans to lead in solving the Libyan crisis.

For his part, Salame said that he discussed with Government of National Accord Foreign Minister Mohamed Taha Siala the latest developments and results of recent meetings on Libya.

Among topics discussed was reaching consensus on implementing limited amendments to Libyan political agreement, namely the UN-sponsored Skhirat Morocco agreement concluded at the end of 2015.

Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives (parliament) and the Tripoli-based Higher Council of State had agreed on Tuesday to continue consultations to amend the UN-sponsored political agreement in preparation for a constitutional referendum and elections.

"The meeting covered some consensual proposals and formulas to enable the two councils to choose a strong executive authority that achieves a comprehensive consensus and is capable of unifying the state institutions and addressing the challenges Libya is going through in this sensitive stage," the Higher Council of State said in a statement.

"The two sides agreed to present the results of this meeting to the two councils and to continue communicating in the coming days, in order to reach consensus on amending the political agreement, leading to the formation of a unified and effective executive authority," it added.

The parliament approved a compromise formula proposed by Salame last year on amendments to the agreement. However, the Higher Council of State rejected it.

The amendments, mainly related to executive authority, are part of an action plan Salame proposed in September to end the political crisis in Libya. The plan also includes holding parliamentary and presidential elections before the end of 2018.

Libya is suffering a political division between the eastern government based in Tobruk and the western government based in Tripoli backed by the UN.

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SDF Offers Tribes in Syria’s Deir Ezzor Role in Talks, Right to Name Governor

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
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SDF Offers Tribes in Syria’s Deir Ezzor Role in Talks, Right to Name Governor

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)

Arab tribal leaders, who took part in recent meetings with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Autonomous Administration in northeast Syria, said they were offered a greater role in governing Deir Ezzor province and a seat at the table in any future talks with the Damascus government, according to tribal sources.

The meetings, held at the US-led coalition’s base in al-Shaddadi, south of Hasakah, were led by SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and senior officials from the Kurdish-led administration.

Discussions centered on the latest international efforts to revive dialogue with Damascus, including Abdi’s talks with the French foreign minister and US Syria envoy in Paris, as well as earlier meetings in Amman.

At the heart of the discussions was a March 1 agreement between Abdi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that envisages integrating the SDF and local governing bodies into Syrian state institutions by the end of the year.

Tribal sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that leaders were presented with a proposal consisting of three main elements: first, a formal role for Arab tribes in upcoming negotiations with Damascus; second, a 50% quota for tribal figures from eastern, northern, and western Deir Ezzor - areas under SDF influence - in a newly structured provincial council, with nominees selected in coordination between tribal elders and the SDF.

The third clause would give Arab tribes the authority to name the governor of Deir Ezzor, replacing the current system of presidential appointment.

In a statement following the meeting, the SDF said Abdi had assured Deir Ezzor residents that local civilian and military bodies would have a say in any future settlement with the Syrian government, emphasizing that the SDF remained the “guarantor of stability and security” and would continue its mission without hesitation.

Abdi also reportedly clarified that the handover of Deir Ezzor’s institutions, civilian and military alike, to the government would be limited to those that operated in SDF-controlled areas prior to the fall of the former regime at the end of last year. Similar arrangements would later extend to the cities of Raqqa and Hasakah.

According to the sources, Abdi stressed that the SDF had no intention of surrendering territory or dismantling the Autonomous Administration. Instead, any rapprochement with Damascus would be based on mutual understandings and a comprehensive integration process acceptable to both sides.

Committees from both the SDF and the administration are expected to meet with government officials in the coming days to push forward with the plan.

During the transitional phase, local councils and security agencies under the Autonomous Administration in Deir Ezzor will continue operating normally, with a view to developing a new, participatory administrative system at the provincial level.

Observers say Abdi’s remarks point to a possible breakthrough in efforts to incorporate the SDF as a unified bloc within the Syrian Ministry of Defense, alongside the integration of administrative institutions into the broader state framework. These understandings remain in their early stages, however, and a final deal is yet to be reached.

A planned follow-up meeting in Paris on July 25 between Syrian government officials and an Autonomous Administration delegation was postponed at the request of Damascus, which informed the SDF through the US-led coalition that a new date would be set soon.

Meanwhile, for the third consecutive day, unknown gunmen have targeted SDF positions in Deir Ezzor countryside, despite the presence of coalition forces.

On Monday, two assailants on a motorcycle fired at an SDF military vehicle near the town of al-Sour in northern Deir Ezzor, causing material damage but no casualties, according to an SDF military source and local residents.

A similar attack on Sunday struck an SDF outpost in the nearby village of Ruwaished, leading to a brief exchange of fire but no injuries. On Saturday, the SDF reported one of its fighters was killed and another wounded when gunmen believed to be ISIS sympathizers attacked a vehicle in the village of al-Zar, east of Deir Ezzor.