Recent moves by ISIS in Libya were treated in an excellent investigative piece by Voice of America replete with interviews with leading US government officials. Highlighting the movement of top ISIS officials and the transformation of Sirte into a stronghold for the militant group, the article describes the dangers presented by these moves, including the opportunity for ISIS militants to cross the Mediterranean Sea and enter Italy. It does seem that western governments are on the verge of finally grasping this threat and formulating a response. I was asked about the number of ISIS militants in Libya as well as larger trend lines in the recruitment of foreign and local fighters.
“In the last few months and weeks native Libyan participation in ISIS has increased notably, especially in sleeper cells in Tripoli,” Pack said. “Most of these Libyans are young under 30's and many under 20's, some of whom were suicide bombers in Benghazi and, most recently, in Sidra.”“I would not be surprised if we woke up one morning, and ISIS in Libya had grabbed a large part of Libyan territory-the same kind of blitzkrieg on a smaller scale that we saw in Iraq,” former CIA deputy Director Michael Morell told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee earlier this month, using acronym to describe the terrorist organization, which also goes by ISIL and Daesh."
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