Saturday, January 31, 2015

Another Islamic State Opportunity

"The attackers opened fire inside the hotel, killing four foreigners, two men and two women, who are believed to be from East Asian countries."
Omar Khadrawi, Tripoli head of security

"The Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States strongly condemn yesterday’s attack on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, Libya. We express our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. We reject such appalling acts of terrorism, which should not be allowed to undermine Libya’s political process. We call on Libyans to condemn this and all acts of terrorism and to seek an end to the ongoing conflict, which only exacerbates the terrorist threat."
U.S. State Department
Image grab from AFPTV video shows fire and smoke rising in front of the Corinthia hotel in Tripoli, Libya, on January 27, 2015, after gunmen stormed the luxury hotel (AFP Photo/)

It's not, one imagines, that Mr. Khadrawi isn't doing his job, ensuring security for Libyans and those who visit the country to which Islamic State terrorists have made inroads of compatibility with the tribal and sectarian Islamists making a mockery of central government. It is just that when terrorists are infused with the zeal of inflicting their deadly contempt and hatred -- by portioning out death to all those who by their nature rejecting radicalization, earn it -- they feel quite entitled to do so.

And such deathly rampages are nothing if not difficult to stop in their tracks. A car bomb set to explode as a distraction, allowing gunmen to storm the hotel popular with foreigners and foreign embassy staff. Which explains why it is the attack took place there, and why it is that an American security contractor is listed among the dead, alongside a French national, a Filippina and a woman from South Korea. Wrong place, right time. Or is that right place, wrong time...

The five gunmen fired  their guns in the lobby while battling security guards. Staff and guests were shot for good measure, and then the gunmen taking several hostages took to the top floor of the hotel. Where the gunmen either blew themselves to smithereens or were killed, their six captives freed by security forces. Now that's a lucky break for the captives, since the goal is in becoming martyrs to take as many of the 'enemy' with them as possible.

The Tripoli Province of ISIS has issued its trill of conquest, a self-congratulatory paean of praise that they killed nine people; amazing grace in honour of Islam, the Prophet and Allah. ISIS has spread its deadly tentacles, operating training camps in Libya and luring recruits from among the many tribal Islamists for whom there is no recognition of a national government in in the country.

Apart from Libya having defaulted to becoming a country of utter lawlessness whose territory represents prime Islamic State expansionist geography it has the distinction of having been a resource for terrorist groups everywhere in North Africa and the Middle East availing themselves of the vast treasury of weapons that were amassed and released when Moammar Ghadafi's military abandoned safekeeping duties.

Prime gain in a prime game for Islamic State.

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