Context
According to media reports, members of the Al Qaeda linked Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) are in control of various parts of the country after the Qaddafi regime was toppled earlier this month. The group led by Abd AlHakin Belhadj, an Al Qaeda leader who was imprisoned in Libya has styled himself the “Commander of the Tripoli Military Council”. This comes as a major blow to the Natoinal Transitional Council (NTC) which is backed by the Western powers and hopes to lead the political process in a post Qaddafi Libya.
The situation in Libya is also likely to encourage other Islamic militant groups in the Arab Revolt
