ISISBritish, U.S. Special Forces training Libyan militias to fight ISIS

Published 29 February 2016

British Special Forces have been quietly deployed to Libya for the purpose of helping build an army to fight ISIS militants who have been increasing their presence in the country. The British commandos are working alongside U.S. Special Forces in and around the city of Misrata on north-west Libya to check the progress of jihadist militias.

Iraqis train in providing cover fire for removal of a "wounded" warrior // Source: commons.wikimedia.org

British Special Forces have been quietly deployed to Libya for the purpose of helping build an army to fight ISIS militants who have been increasing their presence in the country.

The Times reports that Special Forces commandos are working alongside U.S. Special Forces in and around the city of Misrata on north-west Libya to check the progress of jihadist militias.

While diplomatic efforts are continuing to form a unity government – Libya currently has two governments, an Islamist-leaning one in Tripoli and an internationally recognized one in Tobruk – U.S. Special Forces operatives have begun “giving tactical training” to select local militias, Western officials have revealed.

The British government has refused to comment on the deployment of British forces to Libya, but Western officials said a “small number” of British troops were present on a low-key mission.

They are “very much in the background,” one official said of the British Special Forces.

The Times notes that as negotiations continue over a political solution, Western powers have been looking fr effective ways to bock the spread of ISIS influence in the country. U.S. intelligence mpw estimates thatb there are about 5,000 ISIS fighters in Libya. Most of them are concentrated in Col Gaddafi’s home city of Sirte on the Mediterranean coast.

Britain said that if a unity government is formed, 1,000 British troops would join 4,000 troops from Italy, the former colonial power, to train and equip Libyan forces.

Both Britain and Italy have said that they would send the troops only after a formal invitation by a new government has been issued.

It appears that the United States and Britain have concluded that a unity government is not going to be formed any time soon, but that the fight against ISIS cannot wait. Hence the deployment of special forces in an effort wo work with local militias on the ground in both Misrata and Benghazi, either side of Sirte.

Two informed analysts said that “low level training” of rebels had been taking place in recent weeks.

Jonathan Powell, the UK Special Envoy to Libya, last month hinted at the possibility of a more immediate train-and-equip program to fight ISIS, using fighters hardened in battle during Libya’s 2011 revolution.

Speaking to the Commons earlier this month, he said: “There are a number of armed groups there sitting next to Isil who have the capacity to deal with it. But they need to be united and have a common cause if they are to do something.”