The second is the mystery of the Libyan general in Algiers.
General Khalifa Belqasim Hifter was one of Colonel Qadhafi's top commanders in
Chad in the late 1980s where he and his men were captured. Angered at Qadhafi's
handling of the campaign, Hifter was given refuge in the USA, where he became an
advisor to the CIA. In 2011 he returned to Libya to take a top command post in
the rebel army. He was widely suspected by many Libyans of being the “CIA?s man
in Libya”.
Around October 2012 he is believed, with the US? apparent
blessing, to have formed an armed „anti-terrorist? unit. In December, Hifter and
his unit where reported to us as being in Algiers where they had been sent by
the US and placed under the command of the DRS. Jordan's anti-terrorist group
was said to be either with them or about to join them. Their mission was said to
be in Mali, although all the signs are that it never took place, which was
presumably because of the French intervention.
The DRS and Hifter go back a long way and have a close
relationship. For example Qadhafi was causing Algeria a lot of trouble in 1993
by very publicly saying that he wanted to broker a deal between the FIS and the
Algerian regime. He was also giving the impression of helping the FIS although
FIS sources deny that he was doing so.
In that year Hifter was brought, with US assistance, from his
new home near Langley (Virginia) to Tebessa, where he was used to send a very
strong message to Qadhafi saying that Algeria would help Qadhafi's opponents in
Libya unless he stopped interfering in Algeria's affairs. Qadhafi stopped his
meddling. Our current question is: What was Hifter?s planned US/DRS mission in
Mali? We hope this will be revealed to us in the next few weeks.
For more news and expert analysis about Algeria, please see Algeria Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.
© 2013 Menas Associates
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