The U.S. State Department released its 2013 Country Reports on Terrorism [4] on April 30th, stating:
With a weak government possessing very few tools to exert control throughout its territory, Libya has become a terrorist safe haven and its transit routes are used by various terrorist groups, notably in the southwest and northeast.
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Terrorists continue to utilize ancient trade routes across these borders. All of Libya’s borders are porous and vulnerable to this activity ….
Why has Libya become a safe haven for terrorists?
The State Department’s 2012 Country Reports on Terrorism [5] – the first Country Report to list Libya as a terrorist safe haven – explains:
In 2012, Libyan internal security suffered significant challenges and setbacks as it sought to reassert central authority following the fall of the Qadhafi regime ….
And why did the Qadhafi regime fall?
Oh, yeah … in 2011, the U.S. launched a war in Libya and “regime changed [6]” Qadhafi. As then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said [7]:
We came, we saw, he died.
The Washington Post notes [8]:
Moammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011 with the help of U.S. and NATO air forces.
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The Obama administration and its NATO allies bear responsibility for this mess because, having intervened to help rebels overthrow Gaddafi, they then swiftly exited without making a serious effort to help Libyans establish security and build a new political order.
And see this:
It probably doesn’t help that the U.S. backed Al Qaeda terrorists [9] in Libya so that they would overthrow Gaddaffi.
Sadly, bad U.S. policy has largely been responsible for creating terrorists and terrorist safe havens for many decades [10]. And see this [11].
Updates on Ukraine/Russia: