RT reports : British Special Forces have been deployed in Libya to wrest back control of more than a dozen oil fields seized by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants, it has emerged. Approximately 6,000 European and US soldiers, including 1,000 British troops, will be involved in a number of offensives set up to halt the advance of the jihadist terror group.
The report claims Italian forces will lead the operation, supported mainly by British and French .
Special Forces. The RT report cites the Daily Mirror as a source. The Daily Mirror account is rather different, maintaining that 1,000 troops are not already there but Special Air Service (SAS) forces are preparing for their arrival: Crack SAS troops are in Libya preparing for the arrival of around 1,000 British infantrymen to be sent against ISIS there in early 2016. Special Forces including military close observation experts from the Special Reconnaissance Regiment are spearheading a major coalition offensive against the terror network.
Another source gives a similar account and gives the same numbers as RT for the total troops to be deployed. All the reports claim that the Islamic State or Daesh has a number of oil fields that will provide revenue for the terrorist group.
Only a week ago, a Libyan internationally-recognized government spokesperson made it clear that foreign intervention was not needed in Libya because of the security situation. The media seems to be joining in an attempt to manufacture consent for a foreign intervention in Libya,
One of the UK accounts rivals Fox news: The crazed jihadis have reportedly overrun Libyan rebels in the towns of Bin Jawad and As Sidr as part of an offensive that designed to give the terrorist group access to huge new revenue streams from oil.
Contrast that alarmist report with the more sober evaluation of Daily Star:
SIS has taken advantage the security vacuum to grab territory and are threatening to advance from Sirte, which it controls. So far the group has failed to take control of any Libyan oil installations but has done so in Syria.
This is not to deny that the IS advance is a threat. IS has advanced east of Sirte. Fighters fought with security forces near the Es Sidra oil export terminal, killed two guards, and set an oil storage tank on fire Two suicide bombers attacked the port area but then the fighters retreated.
None of the reports bother to mention whether the UK or the other countries bothered to get permission from either of the two rival governments in Libya to send troops. Foreign intervention at this juncture can only complicate the delicate political situation and confirm the suspicions of many that the new Government of National Accord is a foreign creation that will be used to legitimize another intervention by international powers in Libya. Interesting that it is all the old colonial powers such as Italy, France, and the UK who are spearheading the intervention. US intervention is also evident with their commandos recently being turfed out of eastern Libya.
