Benghazi Bites The Dust?- Declared An Islamic Emirate

The fall of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi spawned the rise of the Salafist jihadi militant group Ansar al-Sharia. Those same Islamists responsible for the murder of  U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and several other Americans during the 2012 Benghazi attack, have been battling to take over Benghazi ever since, and have finally succeeded.  At least that's what they claim. As of late Wednesday, Benghazi is now an "Islamic emirate", says Mohammed al-Zahawi, Ansar al-Sharia's spokesperson.

Not so, says Khalifa Haftar.

"..Khalifa Haftar, a retired, renegade former army general who earlier this year launched a self-declared campaign to clear the city of Islamist militants, denied the group’s claims.

“The national Libyan army is in control of Benghazi and only withdrew from certain positions for tactical reasons,” Haftar told Al Arabiya News Channel.

“The claim that Benghazi is under the control of militias is a lie,” he said.

So, did Benghazi bite the dust and fall to Ansar al-Sharia?  Hard to tell, at this point, but I'm sure in the coming days it will become clearer who actually controls the city.  We know there have been some recent major battles in Benghazi, attacks on the airport prompting an evacuation of American personnel from the city, and news that an army base was taken over by Islamists and militiamen, so I'm thinking it's more likely that Ansar al-Sharia accomplished its goal. For now. And if they have, expect more bloodshed.

More here.

The rising tide of Islamism does not bode well for that region.

Benghazi Coptic Christian Church Torched By Extremists

More Christian persecution, this time in Libya.  A Coptic Christian church in Benghazi, that had already suffered damage by Islamic extremists in February, was torched again on Thursday.

According to a witness:

"Several armed men arrived firing in the air, started a fire in the church and left," a resident near the church in central Benghazi said, asking not to be named.

At least this time no-one was hurt. Back in February a priest and his assistant were also attacked.

Christians have been living in fear of the rise of Islamic extremism since Moammar Gadhafi was driven from power and killed in 2011 with the help of the U.S.

Libyan Cleric Calls On Muslims To "Detonate Our Wrath Upon Them" 3 Days After Murder Of U.S. Diplomats

While a few Libyans expressed sorrow, apologizing for the murder of our Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and 3 other U.S. diplomats, others- like this Libyan cleric, are encouraging more killings. On TV, no less.  Now these don't seem like militant types, and most seem bored and somewhat disinterested, but when your cleric advocates violence, it's hard not to take him up on it. And take note of  the young boys.  Shameful.

This preacher man calls for the people of Islam to:

"....detonate our wrath upon them, with deeds they will not be able to ignore."

The few who feel bad about what happened are just that, a few, and while one can appreciate the gesture of goodwill, it in no way makes up for the magnitude of what happened, and what is continuing to occur.