Al-Qaeda Now Controls U.S. Base in Libya Used to Train Libyan Special Forces to Fight…al-Qaeda

by Jay Batman | April 23, 2014 1:15 pm

Longtime al-Qaeda member and leader: Ibrahim Ali Abu Bakr Tantoush: now controls the military base the U.S. military refurbished to train Libyan Special Forces to fight al-Qaeda during 2012, according to: reports: by the Libyan media. : The camp, named Camp 27 due to the fact that it is 27 kilometers west of Tripoli, is now the base for Salifist extremist fighters seeking to overthrown the Libyan government. : Tantoush, a longtime friend and associate of Osama bin Laden, was indicted in 2000 for his role in the 1998 African embassy bombings.

If the reports are true, a senior al-Qaeda veteran and his fighters have taken a base just 27 kilometers from Libya’s capital, which would further demonstrate how ineffectual Libya’s new government is. : In fact, according to Rand Corporation al Qaeda expert Seth Jones, Libya has become a base of sorts for jihadist groups, with terrorist training camps sprinkled liberally throughout Libyan territory. : Camp 27 was: previously raided by jihadist militias: in June 2013, and U.S. equipment including M-4 rifles, pistols, ammunition, vehicles, and night vision equipment was seized.