Richard Spencer in The Telegraph (UK) has a very troubling piece describing who we are now supporting in Libya. Many of the opposition leaders are Islamic radicals. Abdelkarim al-Hasadi, who is running the defense of the rebel town Dernah, was actually arrested by US forces in Afghanistan back in 2002! An excerpt:
WikiLeaks cables, independent analysts and reporters have all identified supporters of Islamist causes among the opposition to Col Gaddafi’s regime, particularly in the towns of Benghazi and Dernah.
An al-Qaeda leader of Libyan origin, Abu Yahya al-Libi, released a statement backing the insurrection a week ago, while Yusuf Qaradawi, the Qatar-based, Muslim Brotherhood-linked theologian issued a fatwa authorising Col Gaddafi’s military entourage to assassinate him.
But they also agree that the leading roles in the revolution are played by a similar cross-section of society as that in Egypt next door – liberals, nationalists, those with personal experience of regime brutality and Islamists who subscribe to democratic principles.
You can read the whole piece here.