Islamic State Is Building A Base Just A Few Hundred Miles From Europe

In recent weeks, the flow of foreign fighters to Libya has intensified. Some experts fear the terrorist organisation is planning to make its headquarters there.

President François Hollande of France has pledged to destroy Islamic State's "army of fanatics." But amid an intensified bombing campaign in Syria and Iraq, as well as setbacks on the battlefield, there are signs that IS has a fallback plan.

Via img.v3.news.zdn.vn

Last year, a militia in the Libyan coastal city of Sirte proclaimed its loyalty to the Islamic State. That makes it one of roughly a half-dozen groups around the world which say they are affiliated with IS.

However, among them only Sirte is directly controlled by Islamic State commanders in Raqqa, Syria.

In recent months, the flow of foreign fighters traveling from Syria to Libya has increased, including high-level commanders known to Western intelligence agencies.

"A great exodus of the Islamic State leadership in Syria and Iraq is now establishing itself in Libya," the commander of a rival militia told the New York Times.

Libya has been in chaos ever since 2011, when dictator Muammar Gaddafi was ousted in a revolution backed by Western airstrikes. The country has fragmented, with two rival governments and scores of militias struggling for territory and popular support.

There are signs that Islamic State is planning to expand its territory in Libya, potentially seizing control of more towns and possibly oil fields.

In Syria, sales of black market oil have provided one of the organisation's most important sources of income. But air strikes by Russia and the United States against oil fields and convoys have dented the group's ability to finance itself.

If Islamic State were to gain control over Libyan oil reserves, it would have a lucrative new source of revenue.

And according to eyewitnesses, it is already copying aspects of its Syrian system in Libya. It levies taxes on local businesses in Sirte and the grizzly public executions that are its hallmark have already begun.

After a meeting with François Hollande, Italian president Matteo Renzi warned that the situation in Libya could become even more dire.

Via elysee.fr

"It will be fundamental for everyone to give absolute priority to Libya, which risks becoming the next emergency," Renzi said in a joint press conference.

Sirte is situated approximately 400 miles southeast of Italy. Though separated by hundreds of miles of open water, this puts Italy on the front lines of what could be a new terrorist threat to Europe.

However, Renzi appears to have resisted French requests for his government to join the campaign of airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria.

Italy has taken the lead in Operation Triton, a joint European naval patrol intended to save migrants from drowning as they cross the Mediterranean. As Libya has sunk further into chaos, it has become a center for people smuggling - providing Islamic State with potential cover for preparing an attack.

Meanwhile, Hollande called for a national unity government in Libya, saying that it was crucial "to prevent Islamic State from settling there and advancing."