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UN Report Says Mercenaries Entered Libya from Turkey

GNA forces prepare themselves before heading to Sirte, in Tripoli, Libya, Libya July 6, 2020. (Reuters)
GNA forces prepare themselves before heading to Sirte, in Tripoli, Libya, Libya July 6, 2020. (Reuters)
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UN Report Says Mercenaries Entered Libya from Turkey

GNA forces prepare themselves before heading to Sirte, in Tripoli, Libya, Libya July 6, 2020. (Reuters)
GNA forces prepare themselves before heading to Sirte, in Tripoli, Libya, Libya July 6, 2020. (Reuters)

A United Nations report revealed that several countries have expressed concern over the arrival of thousands of ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorists to Libya.

The UN Security Council Committee concerning Libya said 7,000 – 15,000 mercenaries and terrorists from Syria have entered Libya through Turkey to fight alongside the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, against the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar.

The report found that ISIS boasts a few hundred fighters in Libya. One member state said that the number is as much as 4,000.

It expressed concern over reports that 7,000 – 15,000 fighters had been transported from northwestern Syria to the capital Tripoli through Turkey.

It is not yet clear whether these Syrian fighters were originally members of terrorist groups included on the Syria sanctions list.

The interim Syrian government in Turkey has helped send forces to Libya, it found.

The report added that ISIS was still capable of surviving, while al-Qaeda was taking root in local communities and in conflicts.

It noted that ISIS has increased its operations in conflict zones in Iraq and Syria, which is a cause of concern for member states.

It warned that these groups are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic in order to spread propaganda and gather funds. It added that should the world go into severe recession, then the international society may encounter more obstacles in combating terrorism and extremism.

“At the same time, the pandemic has made cross-border travel more difficult and targets more elusive, and the operational tempo of attacks has slowed discernibly in some regions,” read the report.

The overall number of ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria is estimated at more than 10,000, the report revealed.

According to the report, "al-Qaeda exploits the tarnished ISIS brand and societal fractures to enhance legitimacy and gain local traction and recruits. The relationship between ISIS and al-Qaeda remains fraught and idiosyncratic, depending on regional dynamics.”

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.