ISIS Terrorist Attack Kills Seven in West Libya

The scene of the terrorist attack east of Tripoli on Thursday, August 23, 2018. (Reuters)
The scene of the terrorist attack east of Tripoli on Thursday, August 23, 2018. (Reuters)
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ISIS Terrorist Attack Kills Seven in West Libya

The scene of the terrorist attack east of Tripoli on Thursday, August 23, 2018. (Reuters)
The scene of the terrorist attack east of Tripoli on Thursday, August 23, 2018. (Reuters)

ISIS affiliates killed seven security personnel and injured at least 10 others Thursday in an attack on a security checkpoint in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

This attack took place shortly after the broadcast of a voice recording by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to incite his supporters to launch more terrorist attacks in several Arab countries, including Libya.

In a statement, head of Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj pledged to pursue the perpetrators of Thursday’s attack.

“They will not escape impunity and will not find a safe place for them in Libya."

He pointed out that he has given instructions to the ministry of interior and security services to probe the attack and arrest the perpetrators.

“This terrible crime is carried out only by criminals, who have been stripped out of their humanity and of all values and religious and moral laws," Sarraj said in his statement.

“Such crimes will only increase the Libyans' determination to fight terrorism.”

“Our country faces a terrorist enemy that targets its stability. We will exert all efforts to fight it and obtain every possible support to monitor, prosecute and punish the perpetrators,” Sarraj stressed.

Separately, French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes Von der Muhll announced that she encourages all initiatives within the framework of UN mediation aimed at achieving reconciliation and stability in Libya.

In response to France's position on the Italian initiative backed by Washington to hold a conference on Libya, she said that Paris stresses that the political solution, under the auspices of the UN, is the only way to establish stability in a sustainable manner in Libya.

She stressed the need to adopt a constitutional basis to carry out presidential and legislative elections, which was set and approved by the main Libyan parties during the May Paris conference that brought together rival Libyan factions.

The gatherers agreed during the talks to held presidential and parliamentary elections in December.

Moreover, the French official said that Paris was following up on Italian efforts to hold a conference on Libya later this year.

After receiving American backing, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has been seeking to organize an international conference on Libya in the fall.



Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
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Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading on Thursday to Rome for talks with European counterparts on bringing stability to Syria in the face of flare-ups with Türkiye, capping what is likely his final trip.
Blinken had been expected to remain in Italy through the weekend to join President Joe Biden but the outgoing US leader scrapped his trip, which was to include an audience with Pope Francis, to address wildfires sweeping Los Angeles.
Blinken, on a trip that has taken him to South Korea, Japan and France, was heading on Thursday from Paris and will meet for dinner in Rome with counterparts from Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
In Paris on Wednesday, Blinken said the United States was united with the Europeans on seeking a peaceful, stable Syria, a month after the opposition factions toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
But concerns have mounted over Türkiye’s threats against Syrian Kurdish fighters, who have effectively run their own state during the brutal civil war engulfing Syria.
A war monitor said that battles between Turkish-backed groups, supported by air strikes, and Kurdish-led forces killed 37 people on Thursday.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have worked with the United States on Washington's main stated priority -- battling the ISIS extremist group -- but Türkiye says the SDF has links with PKK militants at home.
Blinken in Paris said that Türkiye had "legitimate concerns" and that the SDF should gradually be integrated into a revamped national army, with foreign fighters removed.
"That's a process that's going to take some time. And in the meantime, what is profoundly not in the interest of everything positive we see happening in Syria would be a conflict," Blinken told reporters.
"We'll work very hard to make sure that that doesn't happen."
Blinken said he expected no change on goals in Syria from US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes over on January 20.
During his last term, Trump briefly said he would accede to a plea by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pull out US troops that have been working in Syria with the Kurdish forces.
But he backed down after counter-appeals led by French President Emmanuel Macron.
When to ease sanctions?
Also on the agenda in Rome will be whether and when to ease sanctions on Syria.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday that some sanctions "could be lifted quickly".
The US Treasury Department said this week it would ease enforcement on restrictions that affect essential services.
But US officials say they will wait to see progress before any wider easing of sanctions -- and the Biden administration is unlikely in its final days to accept the political costs of removing Syria's victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels from the US "terrorism" blacklist.
While Western powers are largely in synch on Syria, some differences remain.
Blinken reiterated US calls on European countries to repatriate citizens of theirs detained in Syria for working with the ISIS group and languishing in vast camps run by the Kurdish fighters.
France and Britain, with painful memories of attacks by homegrown extremists, have little desire to bring militants back.
The Rome talks come a week after the French and German foreign ministers, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, jointly visited Damascus and met new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to encourage an inclusive transition.
Sharaa, has promised to protect minorities after the fall of the iron-fisted but largely secular Assad.
A senior US official in turn said last month on meeting Sharaa that Washington was dropping a $10-million bounty on his head.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will pay his own visit to Syria on Friday, during which he plans to announce an initial development aid package.
Italy's hard-right government has pledged to reduce immigration. Millions of Syrians sought asylum in Europe during the civil war, triggering a backlash in some parts of the continent that shook up European politics.
In contrast to other major European powers, Italy had moved to normalize ties with Assad just weeks before he fell, presuming at the time that he had effectively won the war.