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U.S.: Al Qaeda-Linked Group Behind Benghazi Attack Trains Jihadists For Syrian Rebel Groups
[FreeBeacon] Ansar al-Sharia...a Yemeni Islamist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends... running training camps in Benghazi and Darnah U.S. intelligence agencies earlier this month uncovered new evidence that al Qaeda-linked bully boyz in Benghazi are training foreign jihadists to fight with Syria's Salafist tough guys, according to U.S. officials. Ansar al-Sharia, the al Qaeda-affiliated militia that U.S. officials say orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound and a CIA facility in Benghazi, is running several training camps for jihadists in Benghazi and nearby Darnah, another port city further east, said officials who discussed some details of the camps on condition of anonymity. The officials said the terror training camps have been in operation since at least May and are part of a network that funnels imported muscle to Syrian rebel groups, including the Al-Nusra Front, the most organized of the Islamist rebel groups fighting the Bashir al-Assad regime in Damascus. Disclosure of the terror training camps also bolsters earlier intelligence assessments that Libya, following the death of Muammar Qadaffy ...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland and was then murdered by his indignant subjects 42 years later... , is now a focal point for al Qaeda terrorist activity in North Africa. Information about the terrorist training camps in northeastern Libya was uncovered after the arrest of several jihadists near the port city of Darnah in early August. Other information about the camps appeared online at jihadist social media outlets around the same time. Two men identified as Tunisians disclosed the existence of the training camps in Benghazi after they were interrogated by a local militia group in northern Libya. At the time of their arrest, the Tunisians stated that they were trained in small arms use and were on their way to join Syria rebels by traveling first to Benghazi, then Istanbul, and over land across Turkey and into northern Syria. According to the officials, the Tunisians were locked away Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! Aug. 3. Inside their car, the militia found six passports, an AK-47 assault rifle, and foreign currency. A total of four people traveling in the car, including two Libyans, clashed with guards at a security checkpoint at the time of the arrest. One of the men said he was an associate of Ansar al-Sharia's leader Sufian Ben Qumu, an al Qaeda terrorist released from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2007. Details of the number of jihadist training camps and jihadists was not disclosed, but the officials said there are several training camps. The Ansar al-Sharia Brigade in Benghazi was formed in early 2012 from several Islamist militias that fought during the 2011 revolution that ousted Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy. The group was forced to relocate its operating bases based on local opposition to the group's role in attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound. Ansar al-Sharia is engaged in overt charitable activities and armed patrols in Benghazi, in addition to the covert terrorist training. The group has sought to play down its role in jihadist activities to avoid both the Libyan government and international scrutiny. Ansar al-Sharia in Darnah was founded by former members of the terrorist Salim Martyrs Brigade and operates a base west of Darnah. Libyan officials told Britannia's Arabic language newspaper Al Sharq al Awsat earlier this month that some type of covert U.S. military action was taken against al Qaeda bases in Darnah. However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... Pentagon spokesmen said they had no information about such attack that reportedly took place Aug. 11. U.S. intelligence agencies believe Libya has produced more jihadist rebels for the Syrian conflict than any other outside nation. Some 20 percent of foreign jihadists in Syria came from Libya and that several hundred are currently in the country. Over 100 Libyans were reported killed in Syrian fighting for such rebel groups as Al-Nusra Front, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Umma Brigade, Muhajirin Brigade, and Ahrar al-Sham, an Al-Nusra offshoot. The Ansar al-Sharia Brigade was blamed by U.S. officials for carrying out the deadly Benghazi terrorist attack Sept. 11. Posted by: trailing wife 2013-08-30 |
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