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ISIS taking over Sirte, Libya
The US meddling in Arab countries such as Iraq and Libya has turned them into hotbeds of terrorism, the head of the Russian general staff said. Libya, in particular, has become a hub for Islamic State jihadists. In the long run,
American military interventions of the past two decades have only succeeded in fostering terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa, General Valery Gerasimov told an international security conference in Moscow. "The occupation of Iraq, the disposal of yet another strongman and 'democratization' of this country at gunpoint
caused the majority of the dispersed military and ousted political elites to form the core of ISIS," he said.
Similar mistakes were made in Libya, when Western powers decided to use military force to oust its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the Russian general said.
"Libya... practically no longer exists as a state and has become a hotbed for IS and other terrorist groups," he pointed out. Gerasimov added that the
refugee crisis in Europe is the price it is now paying for destabilizing Arab countries.
Lavrov: 'Use of terrorists as tool must stop'
Russia is suggesting that
Western leaders should do their homework and change their behavior, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the conference. In particular they must stop supporting terrorist groups, which are fighting against Western countries' political rivals. "Fighting terrorism is a path with many obstacles. Homework needs to be done and
actions that degrade the region must cease," he said.
"The use of terrorists as a tool is unacceptable."
Similar concerns were voiced by Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan, one of many foreign dignitaries at the Moscow conference. "We are convinced that
the world today lacks safety, stability and fear because of terrorist groups, which are supported by America, Israel and some countries in the region led by Saudi Arabia," he said.
The terrorism threat is the main topic of the security event, which this year Russia is hosting for the fifth time.
Comment: ISIS is reportedly conducting attacks in 20 countries, not including the Syria and Iraq campaigns, and is now considered the top global terrorist threat. It has hunkered down in Libya as its new base of operations and springboard for atrocities. The more decentralized it is, the more successful and the harder to eradicate. The US didn't learn from its mistakes and just couldn't leave well enough alone, nor, so far, has cleaned up its messes. The fight must now go to Libya.
Comment: Mansour tells the truth, and that can be a dangerous thing: Swedish minister resigns after footage surfaces of him telling the truth about Israel