Fears Grow Over Turkey's Transfer of Jihadists, Mercenaries to Libya
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UK £2 Issue 240, Year 5 EU €2.50 January 19, 2020 www.thearabweekly.com US warns of New role The legacy ‘real risk’ from of Sultan Brotherhood for Russia in Iraq? Qaboos Page 2 Page 13, 19 Pages 4, 8 Iran sends hard-line message, defends adventurism abroad Thomas Seibert enemies now includes not only Americans but also Europeans. He told thousands of Iranians who Istanbul chanted “Death to America” that European countries could not be a rd-line messages deliv- trusted after they initiated a nuclear ered by Iran’s top leaders agreement dispute mechanism. hint at continued policies On January 15, Iranian President Hof adventurism abroad but Hassan Rohani had warned that seem unlikely to quell popular un- European troops in the Middle East rest on the streets or end Tehran’s “may be in danger” after the dispute growing isolation internationally, mechanism was triggered. observers said. In recent demonstrations, Khame- In his first Friday prayers sermon nei and the IRGC have come under in eight years, Iranian Supreme unprecedented attacks showing Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did they are not immune to the ire of the not address attacks by demonstra- discontented public. tors targeting him and the clerical Protesters across Iran, furious over establishment. He said Iran’s “en- the downing of the plane and days of emies” — a term usually used to refer denial by the government, directed to the United States and its allies — their fury at Khamenei. “Death to tried to use the downing of Ukraine the dictator,” footage circulating International Airlines Flight 752 by on social media showed protesters the Islamic Revolutionary Guard shouting. Corps (IRGC) to shift attention from the death of Qassem Soleimani, a key general, killed by the US military. Khamenei’s discourse is Authorities initially concealed unlikely to quell popular their role in the airliner tragedy unrest on the streets or end blaming the crash on a technical Tehran’s growing isolation War vortex. A fighter loyal to the Turkey-backed Government of National Accord fires shots during problem. Their admission of re- internationally, observers clashes with the Libyan National Army in Tripoli’s suburb of Ain Zara. (AFP) sponsibility triggered days of street said. protests, which security forces dis- persed with live ammunition and Video showed students chanting tear gas. “Clerics get lost!” outside universities Fears grow over Turkey’s Khamenei called the shootdown of in Isfahan and Tehran. “They killed the plane a “bitter accident” but the our elites and replaced them with 80-year-old cleric offered no apology. clerics,” demonstrators chanted in Praising Soleimani, Khamenei de- Tehran, referring to Iranian students transfer of jihadists, fended the adventurist policies he returning to Canada who were among carried out. He said his actions be- those killed on the Ukrainian flight. yond Iran’s borders were in the ser- Rezaee said the downing of the vice of the “security” of the country. Ukrainian plane had discredited the mercenaries to Libya He added that al-Quds Force, the IRGC. The Tehran air disaster had IRGC’s foreign intervention arm shown “that they can’t even tell a that was led by Soleimani, could missile from a passenger plane,” he In Europe and the Maghreb, there is concern the inflow take action against Iran’s adversar- said. ies abroad. Al-Quds Force, Khameini The IRGC was criticised and of Syrian fighters could widen regional insecurity. said, “protects people across the re- mocked by demonstrators, added gion”. He added: “They are fighters Rezaee, who runs the news website Lamine Ghanmi Turkey on its way to Libya and Claudia Gazzini, a senior Libya without borders.” perspective-iran.com. “This is some- Islamic militants from the “Sham analyst with the International Cri- He repeated Iran’s aim of driving thing new for Iran,” he said. Legion” were expected to be sent sis Group, noted that “anti-Turk- the United States from the Middle Despite Khameini’s defence of Tunis to the North African country. ish sentiment is already strong East, calling US President Donald adventurist and anti-Western goals, The Syrian Observatory for Hu- because of Ankara’s intervention Trump “a clown.” Iran’s latest showdown with the he quickening pace of in- man Rights put the figure of trans- and could grow as a result of this, Omid Rezaee, an Iranian journalist United States comes at a precarious ternational mediations ferred mercenaries at 1,750 and playing in Haftar’s favour,” re- in Germany, said Khamenei’s speech time for authorities in Tehran and in the Libyan conflict re- said an additional 1,500 were be- ferring to Libyan National Army carried the expected hard-line mes- their allies across the Middle East, as T flects increasing wariness ing trained in Turkey. Field-Marshal Khalifa Haftar. sage. sanctions imposed by Trump have over the risk of the war morphing The Guardian reported that Experts said Turkey is trying to “I don’t think things will change caused deep harm to the Iranian into a regional conflict with un- the mercenaries were to be paid bolster Islamist forces and their after this sermon. Khamenei neither economy. predictable repercussions after $2,000 a month and were prom- faltering militant allies in Tripoli succeeded in boosting the morale of Turkey started transferring jihad- ised Turkish nationality. but Seth Frantzman, a fellow with his supporters nor in scaring his op- Thomas Seibert is an Arab Weekly ists and mercenaries to the strife- More concern was voiced in Lib- the Middle East Forum in Phila- ponents and critics.” correspondent. stricken North African country, ya’s immediate neighbourhood. delphia, said Ankara also seeks ad- Khamenei’s speech indicated officials and experts said. Tunisian terrorism expert Alaya ditional benefits. Turkey can use that the circle of the regime’s direct P2,5,14,17 “Several thousand fighters Allani said the intrusion of fight- its “mercenary army” to “wring have left the Syrian area of Idlib ers from Syria would prolong war deals from Russia” or just keep through the northern border with in Libya, “allowing [the Islamic the Syrian fighters “distracted by a Turkey and have ended up in Lib- State] ISIS and al-Qaeda members new jihad so that they don’t make ya,” Jordanian King Abdullah II to widen the scope of security trouble in Syria for Turkey.” said earlier this month. chaos, which can affect Libya’s The major risk is that “this will French President Emmanuel neighbours.” transform the war in Libya from Macron told France 24 that “if this Algeria’s military, which is on internal strife into a national war information is confirmed, this is alert at the border with Libya, of liberation against a foreign very worrisome” as it “connects staged a major drill January 14, presence and will make the search two theatres of operations” — combining air and land forces for a political solution more diffi- North Africa and the Middle East simulating tactical responses to a cult,” said Allani. — and would facilitate the emer- jihadist attack on an oil facility. In the immediate term, more gence of “terrorist hubs” in Afri- “The neighbouring countries bloodshed is feared. In unfamiliar ca’s Sahel region and Libya. like Chad, Sudan, Algeria, Tuni- terrain, the mercenaries could be A report by the Guardian news- sia, Egypt, fellow AU members war fodder. The Syrian Observato- paper stated that “2,000 fighters and beyond are suffering the con- ry said 19 mercenaries from vari- had moved from Turkey or will sequences” of the crisis, said Ebba ous pro-Turkish Syrian factions arrive imminently to fight on the Kalondo, a spokeswoman for the were killed in Libya. battlefields of Libya.” African Union (AU). The newspaper said 650 Turkey- Many experts said the trans- Lamine Ghanmi is an Arab funded “Syrian National Army” fers would lead to additional tur- Weekly correspondent in Tunis. fighters arrived in Tripoli at the bulence in Libya as pro-Turkish end of December. Another con- factions have been suspected of Embattled. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tingent of 1,350 men crossed into abuses in Syria. P3,6-7,16 delivers a sermon during Friday prayers in Tehran, January 17. (AP) 2 January 19, 2020 Top news Pompeo warns of ‘real risk’ from Muslim Brotherhood in Middle East The Arab Weekly staff The question arose in Washing- ton last April after US President Donald Trump said he was con- London sidering the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist S Secretary of State organisation. The move followed a Mike Pompeo said the meeting Trump had with Egyptian Trump administration is President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. U considering designating In a statement, Sarah Huckabee the Muslim Brotherhood as a ter- Sanders, the White House press rorist organisation, saying there is secretary, said April 30: “The pres- “real risk” from the Brotherhood ident has consulted with his na- in countries throughout the Mid- tional security team and leaders in dle East. the region who share his concern “The administration’s still look- and this designation is working its ing at this, trying to evaluate, try- way through the internal process.” ing to make sure that we get it Pompeo, in the speech at Stan- right,” Pompeo said in a speech ford, pointed out the administra- January 13 at Stanford University’s tion was working on legal details of Hoover Institution on War, Revolu- the issue. tion and Peace. “We just want to make sure that “I don’t know how that will ulti- we get it right, that we calibrate mately be resolved but I do know this appropriately, that we make there is real risk from the Mus- sure that we’ve got the legal foun- lim Brotherhood in many nations dation for this,” he said.