Libyan Islamic Fighting Group

The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) is a Libyan terror organization that was founded in 1995. It is connected with al-Qaeda. The goal of this organization is the imposition of Sharia law and killing non-Muslims. The biggest enemy of the LIFG was the former Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. The LIFG was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the United States government in 2005.^[1] On December 9, 2015 it was removed from the list of foreign terrorist organizations.^[2]

LIFG was originally compromised of Libyans who fought in the Soviet-Afghan war (1980–88). LIFG is suspected to be one of the terrorist entities that provided materials for the May 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca. In November 2007, al-Qaeda leaders released an audio recording officially declaring LIFG had joined with the al-Qaeda organization. The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group has ties to extremist groups in Egypt and Algeria.

Operation Zero Footprint[edit]

In 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton negotiated a deal for the United States to provide support for the Islamist rebels during the Libyan uprising.^[3] The group was lead by Ahmed Abu Khattala who also lead Ansar al-Sharia, the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate in Libya, groups Hillary Clinton euphemistically referred to a "rebels" or "opposition." Under a Presidential Finding for covert assistance ordered by President Barack Hussein Obama, weapons were shipped in and out of Libya with Khattala being the main contact in Libya.^[4]

The weapons shipments under instructions of the U.S. State Department and CIA used Qatar as the front or go-between to handle logistics. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the financier of the weapons.

See also[edit]

• Christopher Stevens
• Benghazi attack
• Benghazigate timeline

References[edit]

1. ↑ Terrorist Organization Profile: Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). start.umd.edu
2. ↑ https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm
3. ↑ ‘White Out’ on Benghazi: State Dept. Issues Report, Clare Lopez, December 23, 2012. counterjihadreport.com
4. ↑ https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2014/06/18/cia-operation-zero-footprint-qatar-benghazi-and-the-connection-to-ahmed-abu-khattala-is-the-real-motive-for-the-obama-administrations-recent-arrest/

External links[edit]

• [1]