The recent unrest in Libya has put the spotlight on one of the main fault lines dividing the country's numerous militias: their stance on Islamism. The conflict puts forces loyal to retired Maj-Gen Khalifah Haftar and secular militias on the one hand against Islamist militias and the authorities on the other. Haftar rose to the rank of colonel under Muammar Gaddafi before turning against the long-serving ruler in the late eighties. Having lived in the US for 20 years, he returned to Libya to help oust Gaddafi in 2011. Not much more was heard from him until, in February 2014, he announced the suspension of the government - a claim promptly denied by the authorities, which described him as a retired officer who has no authority to issue any statements. On 16 May, Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive against Islamist militias in Benghazi. The authorities put the death toll at more than 70. In remarks broadcast on Doha-based Libya TV, Haftar accused sections of the authorities of collusion with "criminal terrorism" but he denied staging a coup or seeking power. "The security of our country is the bottom line... We are merely carrying out the people's will," he said. On 19 May, the commander of a government special forces unit in Benghazi, Wanis Abu-Khamadah, expressed support for Haftar's operation, describing it as a "battle for dignity carried out by the national army" against criminal and takfiri (a brand of radical Islamism) gangs. A spokesman for Haftar, Muhammad al-Hijazi, claimed the support of "all effective, strong air and military bases". Some of Libya's most powerful anti-Islamist militias are from the Zintan area southwest of Tripoli. The degree of their cooperation with Haftar and his allies is unknown. One of those militias, the Al-Qa'qa Brigade, claimed responsibility for an attack on Libya's parliament on 18 May. In a statement posted on Facebook, it accused the General National Congress of supporting "terrorism". It said that, together with Al-Sawa'iq Brigade, it had "responded to the country's distress call to liberate Libya from the hands of politicians who abuse power". A military police commander, Col Mukhtar Farnanah, said on Libyan TV that forces loyal to Haftar had carried out the attack. He announced the suspension of the General National Congress and the transfer of power to a body drawing up a new constitution - a declaration which the authorities ignored. The city of Misratah east of Tripoli is one of the strongholds of Islamist militias, which back parliament's legitimacy. On 19 May, the authorities ordered the deployment of loyalist, mostly Islamist militias in Tripoli to guard against further attacks, media reported. Separately, the jihadist Usud al-Tawhid group posted a video in which it pledged to fight Haftar's forces. A militia leader in Benghazi accused Haftar of an attempted coup. In a statement on 19 May, Ahmad al-Shaltami said the "forces of corruption" had allied themselves with regional powers "to erode the revolution and its gains". "We declare our steadfast determination to stand up to all attempts aimed at the occupation of Benghazi," he said. Islamists are strongly represented in parliament. Earlier this year, the General National Congress removed Western-backed Prime Minister Ali Zidan and replaced him with Ahmad Mu'aytiq. The new prime minister has the backing of the Muslim Brotherhood's Justice and Construction Party but he denies Islamist leanings. On 16 May, outgoing interim Prime Minister Abdallah al-Thinni condemned Haftar's Benghazi offensive as an attempted coup. The mobilization of army units as part of the attack was "against military orders issued from the legitimate authority", he said on Libya TV. On 18 May, the interim government also denounced "the serious and unfortunate events" that took place in Tripoli. A statement quoted by the Libyan official news agency WAL said the storming of parliament did not appear to be linked to the clashes in Benghazi.
