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“Why the LIFG’s Revisions are Falling on Our Deaf Ears”

SNIPPET: “Today’s blog is a plea to my readers who are in positions to influence counterterrorism policy with regard to al-Qaida. For once, the Libyans are doing something right and everyone else is standing around staring at their shoes. In short, this is the most significant development in the war on terror this year and, well, nobody knows – and if they know – they don’t seem to care. Not only does it matter that the senior leaders of an organization formerly in bed with al-Qaida are now renouncing al-Qaida, but the biggest story here is this:

ABU YAHYA AL-LIBI’S OLDER BROTHER, ABU IDRIS, IS AMONG THE SIGNATORIES ON THE LIFG’S REVISIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE IS AN “OLDER BROTHER SCOLDS YOUNGER BROTHER” STORY HERE THAT IS BEING TOTALLY MISSED. THIS ISN’T INFO-OPS – IT’S REAL LIFE.

I’ll stop with the all-caps now, but I can’t believe that this story isn’t at the forefront of everybody’s mind. I explain why I think this is the case below. First, the build-up.

The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) has been publishing its revisions in serialized format in the Libyan press over the past two weeks. Few have cared. Camille Tawil saw it coming and blogged it. Muhammad Shafey wrote a great article on it. Thomas blogged it as the revisions got under way. Vahid followed up with the first substantive analysis of the first three chapters. I’ve been posting some links to the raw Arabic.

The LIFG’s change of heart is the outcome of a multi-year negotiation between the LIFG’s senior leadership, leading lights in public Islamism, and the Qaddafi government.

For those of you who don’t know, the LIFG has been a long-standing (at least since the early 1990s’) partner/associated group with al-Qaida. Many of its Libyan members had fought in Afghanistan during the 1980s side-by-side current members of al-Qaida. After the establishment of the LIFG, the organization remained an ideological and operational partner with al-Qaida. Some of the Libyans playing with al-Qaida whose names you might recognize include Abu Faraj al-Libi, Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, Abu Anas al-Libi, Abu Laith al-Libi and Abu Yahya al-Libi, among others.”