Foreign Backing Brings Militias in Libya to a Stalemate—and No Further
Foreign Backing Brings Militias in Libya to a Stalemate—and No Further by Raja Abdulrahim – Wall Street Journal
When Turkey sent armored vehicles here in May to help stave off an attack on the capital, there was a problem: The trucks didn’t have mounted machine guns.
“Because they lack weapons, they do us more harm than good,” said militia commander Yusuf bin al-Amin. “They are essentially just closed boxes, and those inside die if it’s hit with a missile.”
Foreign powers have funneled military support to both sides of Libya’s civil war—but not enough to give either a decisive advantage.
On one side is the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord, or GNA, which controls Tripoli and much of the country’s west with help from arms supplied by Turkey. On the other is the attacking force of Khalifa Haftar, a Libyan-American dual citizen who rules the country’s east and south with help from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia…