by Pietro Villari, September 15, 2022. All rights reserved.
Translated from “Le nuove attrazioni dei voli low cost. Da Catania a Amsterdam con il sosia(?) del Generale Haftar”, Author: Pietro Villari - published September 13, 2022.
Catania airport, Thursday 25 August 2022, 08:35 P.M. A Romanian plane hired a direct flight to Amsterdam from the Dutch company Transavia, which declared itself unable to do so for unspecified reasons. Once the Dutch, English, Italian passengers have boarded and the doors are closed, a new passenger materializes, perhaps coming from the cockpit. In appearance he is identical to General Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the rebel military forces of eastern Libya, supported by Russia ...
Holidays and geopolitical context: the current
third world war
At the end of August 2022, in a speech to the faithful held in the Vatican,
Pope Francis quietly reveals that the Third World War has already begun and we
are living it. No "authoritative" journalistic source seems to pay
him due attention. We will have to wait until the following week, when the
Pontiff will reiterate his thesis first during the General Audience, held on
Wednesday 7 September in St. Peter's Square and, with greater concern, before
the pontifical representatives gathered on 8 September in the Consistory Hall.
In the previous month, the logic of the market considered it economically
inappropriate to frighten tens of millions of vacationers. Yet, these were the
warnings of a head of state who can count on one of the most valued secret
services in existence, which he sees and hears through the tens of thousands of
priests present all over the world. Today, journalistic sources are timidly
beginning to acknowledge that the evidence indicating the ongoing military
confrontation no longer confined to Ukraine has become clear, as several world
powers have been involved for several months, both with financial aid and with
military supplies and instructors. On 9 September, the newspaper Il
Manifesto reported on the front page and in all respects the anguished
plea of the pope to stop the war immediately (1).
There are clear signs that the pax dictated in 1945 by Western power is
faltering and that war could at any moment spread between the opposing
countries adhering to the Western and Eastern Blocs, like a chain of time bombs
in various areas of the planetary geopolitical chessboard. For example in the
Mediterranean, in key areas such as the Balkans, Libya, or in the Horn of
Africa, although the fuse has probably already been lit in the East on 4
September, with the US resolution to send massive military supplies to the
government of Taiwan, an island that the Chinese consider part of their
territory, entrusting them to temporary storage in a site in western Japan.
Apparently little or not at all worried by the situation, the Italian mass
media are still stuffed with statements of the opposite direction, issued by
economists and other technocrats to reassure the stability of peace and the
imaginary prosperous future of the country and of Western democracy. In
practice, people still do not want to make the masses aware of the real
situation, for reasons of public order and economic, preferring to live at the
moment like that orchestra who, aboard the Titanic, continued to play in the
few tens of minutes that preceded the catastrophe.
The attempts at financial and political destabilization of the ruling
power, mutually implemented by both pro-Western and pro-Eastern coalitions,
began for over a year. The start of the war in Ukraine is only a next step
dating back six months, following what appears to be a well-planned way of
making manifest how obsolete the structural system that had made the world
dominance of the Western Bloc possible until a year ago. The NATO, the military
body of Western power, believes otherwise and has for some time been calling
for the green light for what it considers an urgent series of important
"safety measures" of the old system established shortly before the
Second World War, ended with a massacre program including even the propaganda
use of two nuclear bombs.
The NATO approach seems determined on the belief of its superiority of
high-impact weapons.
Although several analysts had already feared for years in all its gravity,
the drastic reduction due to war events in the energy supplies of the large
Russian and Ukrainian fields, in this case gas and oil, but also of basic foods
of the diet of the populations such as wheat and beef has become the main
problem of European industrialized countries and of the pro-Western countries
of the so-called Third World. If a resolving agreement is not found in the
coming months, the political and economic system risks collapsing with
catastrophically paroxysmal modalities and consequences. Perhaps some are still
convinced today that they can exploit the crisis to their advantage by
legitimizing the use of nuclear weapons on a large scale, expanding the drama
that Japan suffered in 1945 and blatantly unpunished to the entire planet.
If, in such a situation, the cold war between the two blocs is now a thing
of the past, the blitzkrieg conducted with weapons of mass destruction would
have geophysical and environmental repercussions, and not least of social
stability, which are uncontrollable. All the actors of this mad complacent race
to the Supreme Evil, to be considered one of the consequences of the
exponential demographic growth, where even the three great monotheistic
religions have heavy faults caused by the profound lack of adaptation of their
ideological fundamentalism. This insane absence of demographic control is the
primary cause of the consequent progressive exhaustion of the sources of
subsistence and therefore of the chances of survival within a century or so.
They who are really aware and operational at the top of the ruling power,
can’t deny that the last hopes to stave off the war, in the luckiest case of a
few decades, consists in succeeding in a balanced reorganization of world
public finances, within a program demographic control and fight against all
forms of pollution. But in the short term, any plan will have to go through an
agreement of harmonious and shared exploitation of planetary energy sources, of
their distribution according to new geopolitical criteria.
All this now appears an impossible task. The situation seems to accelerate
in the direction of total war, as if its environmental unsustainability would
not also involve in the short term the survival of the economic superpowers and
the decimation of the human presence on a planetary level with incalculable
consequences.
The story reported below took place two weeks ago, in the context of
precise war strategies where the European Union, a sort of community entity
botched mainly for multinational commercial interests, without a real community
of interests and therefore an own military force, risks plunging into chaos and
being swept away by the evolution of events.
On holiday in Taormina, surrounded by quiet and
friendly "enemies".
But yes, all right, it's August and we're going on vacation. On the other
hand, in Italy it is not yet known who the enemies will be. We will have to
wait for the outcome of the political elections on 25 September, first of all
the fun.
I must admit that at the age of sixty-five, for a long time I had been
missing one of those adrenaline rushes that revive big, yeah, but above all to
find myself in a paradoxical situation that managed to amaze me and, after all,
have fun at the same time. Thanks therefore to the Dutch airline Transavia,
with which I had traveled a lot and comfortably in the last twenty years,
between my sleepy residence in Holland and Italy, a land always full of
surprises. In particular Sicily, and the very buttanissimo (2) dominant
power that makes it "her thing" and, not infrequently, my troubles.
As in all true stories of unforeseen adventure, let's go back to a couple
of weeks before the story when, with hindsight, I should have already
identified the basis for the stumbling block in something bizarre and
potentially dangerous.
At the beginning of last August, together with my Dutch partner and the
youngest of our daughters, we made the decision that again this year we
deserved a short summer vacation: a week of sun, sea and Sicilian cuisine in
Taormina. We then booked a nice apartment and the Transavia return flights.
A few days before departure, however, our happy expectation was crucified
via email by an unusual communication from the airline: in a nutshell, “we had
to cancel the flight for reasons beyond our control”. We thought it reasonable
to assume that Transavia was referring to the chaos that was plaguing European
airports that month, having previously drastically reduced staff due to the
pandemic. Now we may have reimbursed the cost of the tickets and say goodbye to
the holidays or try to book another flight by paying the additional balance.
We are able to find available seats for the same destination airport,
Catania, anticipating the departure to the 14th of the same month. Basically we
are so happy, now the days of solace that await us are twelve. However, the
costs are also getting longer because now another apartment is needed to spend
the extra days, not being available in the one already booked. But Vortumna,
whose will is as unfathomable as all the gods, assists us and we manage to find
a delightful apartment also in a central area of Taormina (which I will later
discover as soon as canceled by a family from who knows which country, airport
mess that governments and airlines should have long expected and solved).
We leave Amsterdam happy on the morning of August 14, and at lunchtime we
are already at the table in one of our favorite family-run restaurants in
Taormina. We are eager to return even if for a few days to continue that
paradisiacal life left the year ago between Isola Bella, Castelmola and
Taormina by night, but in the morning of the next day, or at 9:49 on Monday 15,
our luculliana (3) breakfast is interrupted by a
new distressing email from Transavia. He informs us that the return trip with a
company plane is canceled due to unspecified "unforeseen
circumstances", but, if we accept it, the flight will be flown by the Get
Jet Airlines company on the evening of the same date as foreseen by our tickets
even if seats with extra-large space (necessary for those suffering from
pathological problems and / or with long legs) are not available, booked by
paying the price difference. We do not know the Get Jet company,
but due to our work commitments we are forced to accept the offer. On the other
hand, Transavia guarantees in writing the same standard of its flights
including the professionalism of the crew.
I realize that Russians and Chinese also stay in Taormina, a trend that has
been going on for several years. The former are represented by oligarchs who
despite the war are here on vacation with a few family members and
collaborators in tow, while the latter by an army of beach masseuses who have
invaded at least the entire Ionian coast of Messina. I casually listen to a
well-known Russian oligarch, while he confides to an acquaintance that a
professional Chinese massage, comfortably enjoyed on the beach of Isola Bella,
one of the most fascinating in the world, costs only 10 euros. The other reacts
amazed and they go ahead on the matter, they who are able to move millions of
dollars on a daily basis. This is professional deformation, since that figure
is a further evaluation element of a region that, in a few years, could sink
and will then be worth considering also useful for some financial investment.
The difference with the Sicilian mentality? Here it is: if in the coming
months or years there will also be the Chinese among the enemies present in the
territory and therefore to be arrested for reasons of public safety, we will
never think of putting hundreds of these unfortunate workers in concentration
camps, as was customary in the period. war? And what will we give them daily to
eat (not to mention the African refugees, but you know, their fate is only of
interest to those who exploit them), given the future cost of food and the
possible dizzying devaluation of the euro (and possible collapse of the bank
Central European Union)? As for the oligarchs, I know that the Sicilian power
even before the Russians consider them rich businessmen of Jewish origin and
ultimately linked to Israel, even if relations appear recently complicated.
However, it should be borne in mind that a large part of their families
remained in Russia, perhaps for a variety of precautionary reasons from that
government.
The next evening, Tuesday 16, just before going to enjoy the fresh
Mediterranean fish dinner longed for in a year spent in Holland, Transavia
manages to spoil our appetite with the news that their flight was first
entrusted to Get Jet it will instead be replaced by renting a vehicle complete
with crew from another company equally unknown to us, Just Us Air ...
"Just us". What else?...
We do not spend quiet holidays, thinking of the high risk of incurring
further postponements.
So, when we arrive at the airport in the late afternoon of Friday 25
August, we look forward to our plane with confidence. It arrives a little late,
we don't know where (Malta?) And, in line to board, after looking through the
window at the plane below, worried we realize that our flight will be carried
out by another company from slightly sinister name and engine of propulsion of
the jinxes, the Dan Air (for Italian-speaking people it sounds like the
flight of damages, damned, damn…), but we don't receive any confirmation
from Transavia.
Let me explain better, the flight is indicated on the airport board as
Transavia which, in the impossibility of carrying it out with a vehicle from
its own fleet (for unspecified reasons), we presume it has rented a plane and
crew belonging to Dan Air. Before getting on the plane, I quickly check the
name: it is the Romanian company that, about nine months ago, in November 2021,
had taken over Just Us Air ... (but if this news had been revealed, I wonder,
how many passengers would have at this point I canceled the flight and asked
for a refund?).
Ultimately, it seems to be a curious system of Chinese boxes including
companies that, in recent years, have passed ownership with considerable ease,
and this worries me as they could present problems (so to speak) of various
kinds. I still did not understand its purpose, but I was aware that the timing
of the rare series of cancellations and succession of airlines, hired with
apparent difficulty by Transavia for this flight, was accompanied by oddities
of which I had been an involuntary witness during my stay in that flight. of
Taormina. The whole constituted a disturbing operational context, probably
linked to the emergency management system by ministerial officials. When such
circumstances materialize, there is no airline of the caliber of Transavia that
can prevent it. It can only attempt to limit the damage to reputation. I will
have greater suspicion of it when I board that plane with a heavy
heart.
The travel thriller, all inclusive & low
cost
The crew has a bizarre composition, and the behavior of some of them is
unusual. At the entrance, a young military-looking stewardess, but rather stiff
and awkward, greets a passenger, addressing her an absurd phrase in shy Dutch
"This plane goes to Amsterdam, huh", and the one with
sarcastic Dutch humor: "Really? Better, thanks, it's close to our
house! ”. Behind her, a stewardess whom I consider Maltese or from a
North African country from her appearance, rolls her eyes and shakes her head
with worried nervousness. Something is wrong. I decide not to reveal anything
to my parents. They go to row 11, and I to row 12 on the opposite side, divided
by the corridor.
Second scene. All passengers are seated, there are several free seats in
the rows in front of me, including the aisle side seat in the row where my
partner and daughter sit. Many bags do not fit in the containers placed above
the seats, the hostesses are unable to make room. A rather tall and slender
steward arrives, the characters of the face, the determination in the fast
movements and the typical accent of his English leave no doubt: he is a Russian
between thirty and forty years old who had a top military training.
The departure of the flight has already accumulated a delay, and to say
nothing more, the Russian in a few minutes manages to fit, deflate, crush
everything until he is able to close all the doors of the luggage racks. The
stewardess and the travelers watch the scene with their mouths open. The guy is
happy with the work done and is joined by a shorter colleague who, laughing,
addresses him a few words in Russian. Considering the Near Eastern accent, the
characters of the face and the way to act in this situation, I presume (4) it
could be a Syrian of the Sunni middle class (but I cannot be sure), coming from
that social class that by now traditionally have been chosen for many decades
to spend five years as cadets in the Military School, Moscow.
Third scene. The front access hatch has been closed and, perhaps from the
cockpit, another passenger in casual clothing and without hand luggage
materializes. I have no elements to believe that he was already present on the
plane as he came from another airport or if, being already in Sicily, he had
boarded in advance wearing the uniform of an airport attendant, as we will see
later.
I identify him immediately: if he is not a double, he is General Khalifa
Belqasim Haftar, 78, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), the military
formation opposed to the government of Tripoli, dominating the great eastern
Libyan territory. A few years ago his troops had been reinforced by thousands
of elements of the Wagner Group, and by other companies of mercenaries. At the
moment, I have no updates on his recent activities and there is no wifi
connection in flight to find out more. I observe the presence of two small
wounds about ten centimeters apart and of a depressed circular shape, in the
course of healing on the bald. They are probably the result of a demanding
brain microsurgery, carried out several months ago.
One of the hostesses invites him to choose one of the free seats and he
goes through them until he decides satisfied to sit in the one in row 11,
together with my family. After quickly meeting my gaze, the stewardess asks the
alleged general to try a more comfortable seat, located in the back rows, but
he replies with a smile that he is fine.
The situation that has arisen is rather unpleasant, since if on the plane
there are Libyan opponents such as Islamic fundamentalists, ready to eliminate
that General who notoriously despise him by considering him in the service of
foreign powers, or if they wanted to try to take him hostage, the my family
members could be overwhelmed by the violence of the action. But basically, I
think, all the passengers on this plane are in danger, from this moment until
the arrival at Schiphol airport, even admitting the possibility that the plane
could be shot down by a surface-to-air missile or a bomb. on board, or who is
forced to divert to who knows what other airport. All I can do is pay attention
to the movements of every passenger in the vicinity and keep myself ready,
trying to calculate in advance and without making mistakes the possible
occurrences.
The holidays are definitely ruined, due to a bunch of ministerial geniuses:
I hope they will enjoy a similar experience while traveling as usual in first
class on a national airline, just to understand what is the feeling of being “expendable
people”.
What worries me most is the possibility that someone has identified the new
passenger as General Khalifa Haftar and had, before takeoff, the time to call
or send a message to acquaintances, or even shared the news by posting photos
and comments, revealing in this way the situation is the enemies of the
general, of those who are at all "conventional". In fact, the capture
of names and other keywords by information equipment managed by artificial
intelligence is immediate: received in a few minutes at the intelligence
centers of various governmental and non-governmental organizations, the news
potentially transforms the aircraft into a target.
However, nowadays it is easier to carry out a cyber attack by hooking up
the on-board computer, in order to determine functional failures or to replace
the pilot in the control of the aircraft. Actual tampering with the on-board
computer is very difficult in airports subject to strict camera controls.
Conversely, it becomes possible in highly problematic regions of the Third
World, such as, for example, without further ado, the Horn of Africa. Where,
among other things, trying to investigate the real principals sitting behind
the terrorists or operational groups presumed to be such, it is extremely
dangerous even as a merchant, archaeologist, journalist or under any other
double professional "cover".
Fourth scene. After take-off, the plane veered north over the Strait of
Messina and has now settled on its planned flight path. I note that the
scheduled departure at 20:05 was 45 minutes late. Finally, the signal to keep
the seat belts fastened is turned off, but I am the only one to get up,
reaching row 10, where I open the luggage container above to take my small
backpack, in which there is also a bottle of water. On turning back, as the
crew is still at both ends of the plane and here we are in the middle, I stop
in front of the general and address a sentence in Italian to my daughter who
replies "All right, Dad". I notice the general looking around
to see if any of the staff are coming, and they are indeed coming from both
directions. I still don't look him in the face and calmly go and sit in my
place. The “Syrian” steward crouches next to the general and starts talking to
him in a low voice, smiling, an atypical behavior that seems almost familiar,
which attracts the curiosity of several passengers. The conversation lasts
several minutes.
Fifth scene. In my line there is a young couple of Dutch tourists. She
seems a bit sad to be back from vacation, he looks like a smart guy who returns
to his homeland. Having sat next to him, I see him intrigued by what is
happening on the plane. I decide it is appropriate to inform him about who
could be the guest who is given a very respectable treatment by the staff, but
who could also be a double. He immediately focuses on the situation and asks me
if I think there may be any dangers, and I reply that it is difficult to say
but that, if there are none on board, there may perhaps be some during the
landing phase and while waiting for the hatches to open. Unexpectedly, the
young man reports to his girlfriend what he assumes is happening and the girl
begins a soft cry that will last the whole journey, despite the reassurance and
affection of her partner. I observe that other passengers have assumed a
behavior no longer curious, but tense and worried eyes.
Sixth scene. From the speakers connected to the cockpit, the captain's
voice informs us that the landing maneuver has begun. I notice that at a
certain point the autopilot is disengaged, and the plane begins to glide by
swaying due to the manual control, as if hit by a strong wind, perhaps a safety
procedure to prevent the possibility of terrorist risks possibly derived from
tampering with the on-board computer. However, the fluctuations cause great
concern to passengers. Finally the plane lands.
The General read a message just received on his mobile phone, so he gets up
and goes to the tail of the plane where the curtain is immediately closed
behind him. I observe that part of a folded yellow vest comes out of the pocket
of his trousers (it is one of the light ones supplied to flight attendants
operating at airports), with attached an identification tag.
The light signal that requires you to fasten your seat belts is turned off,
and the captain concludes the evening with a positive tone of thanks and
routine greetings: "... sure to have provided you with a pleasant
and relaxing journey, we are waiting for you to fly with us again".
Provoking the hilarious comments of some somewhat irritated passengers ...
Seventh scene. The exit door is not opened as what the captain describes as
an inconvenience occurs due to the incorrect positioning of the mechanical arm,
which allows passengers to directly access the arrival gate. We therefore have
to wait about a quarter of an hour. The necessary, I think, in order to allow
the general to leave the plane through the rear exit, where he had moved
immediately after landing, disappearing behind the unusually closed curtain.
This, however, would lead to consider reasonable the presence of a cooperation
of the Dutch airport management and the security forces that control the
loading and unloading of passengers, access to the airport, runways and
hangars. If so, it would be a fully planned operation. In the distant hypothesis
that the Dutch authorities knew nothing about it, it would be an illegal
operation with serious anomalies and both local and international consequences.
Alternatively, he may have remained on the plane waiting for the restart
for the next destination. Collecting the testimonies of other passengers, in
the distant hypothesis that they intend to correctly recall and expose the
facts without censoring themselves, it could perhaps be possible to clarify
some aspects of what happened.
Later, restarting the phone, I will realize that we have crossed the Alps
flying over Austria, as the local telephone company had sent a welcome message.
The route therefore seems to have been the usual one.
Looking for information on the net in the days
following the return
Up to now I have not found any information on the network on the story
exposed here. And I have not even received any communication from Transavia. As
if the company considers what has happened to be legitimate and normal
behavior, or if it is not aware of the concerns caused at least to a part of
the passengers, thus avoiding a possible chain reaction of cancellations of
bookings concerning flights, including those of other airlines, in departure
during the following weeks. And last but not least, any compensation for any
stress inflicted on passengers.
Before getting on board I had not had time to check the latest events in
the troubled political and military situation in Libya, which has already led
to two terrible civil wars due to the presence in the country of immense oil
and gas fields. But I remembered that Haftar had been the strongman in Libya
after the fall of the socialist regime of Muammar Gaddafi, increasing his
powerful international connections. Recently, during the second Libyan civil
war, his power in eastern Libya, in addition to French and Egyptian support,
had received the strong logistical support of the Russians, also benefiting
from thousands of fighters from the Wagner Group and other mercenary
organizations.
When still in flight, I did not understand what was the serious reason why
a double or even the real Haftar traveled incognito, at least apparently
protected by a pro-Russian crew, in a non-military aircraft but for civilian
use and belonging to a low cost airline registered in Romania. I could hardly
believe that a solid and reliable company such as Transavia could have
specifically chartered that plane and that crew for a delicate international
intelligence mission, carrying the character undercover (no matter if it was a
double or the general), clumsily trying to disguise it among low-cost tourists.
However, with all his wealth coming from managing part of the Libyan oil
depots, that passenger looked just like him, Khalifa Haftar, quietly seated
with that Andalusian Spanish appearance made unlikely by the obvious preference
to speak in Arabic and Russian.
US and British governments, who praise the effectiveness of their
intelligence organizations so much, should be equally questioned by their
fellow citizens about the identity of the passenger who shared that flight with
them. Especially in consideration of the fact that, three weeks before that
date, last July 30, a federal judge from Virginia had convicted General Haftar
for war crimes committed by the Lybian National Army, for whose activities the
General is primarily responsible as commander in chief (5).
Although he has the right to appeal, he preferred to pay heavy damages to the
families of the victims ordered by the judge. I do not know the papers of the
trial, but it is well established that it is highly probable for a commander in
chief to risk being convicted of such crimes for situations that are beyond
direct control.
These would be facts that took place during the 2019 campaign, in this case
the attempted conquest of Tripoli which also recorded the indiscriminate
bombing of civilians. With hindsight, everything appears easy to judge, it
would be necessary to know in depth the entire course of events, the conditions
and the reasons in which they took place, remembering that the war field is
unfortunately a world apart, where people constantly fight to survive with,
against and in horror. It must be admitted with all the painful necessary
impartiality.
Furthermore, it is not exemplary that the United States condemned this
military after first using him as a high-ranking CIA instructor, and later to
bring down the Gaddafi regime during which US, British, French and Italian
aircraft as coalition forces NATO have themselves conducted bombings in Libya
which also hit civilian targets. Do not forget, for example, the horror reached
by the US bombing which aimed to kill Muammar Gaddafi in his tent and instead
caused the death of his daughter, a girl of only six years old. A trial has
never been set up for these murders. But Haftar is now on the "wrong
side", the one opposed to Western oil companies, even though he is
defended by France and Russia, where he began his career by attending the
military school in Moscow. The US process therefore seems to have begun in
conjunction with the need to discredit its military professionalism and above
all to crush the political weight at the international level. A sentence, I
don't know if right, but certainly issued by a system of governance no less
hypocritical than its opponents.
An adventurous life that of Khalifa Haftar, as it was still possible to try
to live in the twentieth century. At only twenty-five years of age, in 1969, we
find him among the young officers who helped Muammar Gaddafi to rise to power
in Libya by ousting the old sovereign, who fled to Italy where he often talked
about himself for how to spend his wealth. From that moment Haftar began a
successful military career that led him to become the most trusted military
commander of the dictator. But confidence collapsed in 1987, when during the
war with Chad he was taken prisoner along with about eight hundred of his men,
provoking the anger of Gaddafi, who for disappointment left him to rot in enemy
prisons until, in 1990, he was freed thanks to the intervention of the
Americans, who allowed him to reside for almost two decades in the U.S.A.,
becoming a US citizen and hired as a C.I.A. instructor, proving to be a
brilliant operative in various locations including the prestigious Langley.
Returning to Libya to participate in the first Libyan civil war against the
Gaddafi regime, wiped out in 2011 by the intervention of the NATO armaments
power, he continued the war to take a strong position among the revolutionary
groups. In 2014, General Haftar refused to join the General National Council
(GNC) with his troops, that is to say alongside the fundamentalist armies
affiliated with that, leading to the start of the Second Libyan Civil War. In
2015, Haftar's forces managed to prevail over other factions in eastern Libya and
the rebel government of Cyrenaica was founded, supported by its own army called
the Libian National Army (LNA).
In April 2018 Haftar was transported to France in a coma and underwent
surgery in a hospital in Paris (6), the first rumors reported a
heart attack. However, two weeks later the General returned to his headquarters
in Eastern Libya.
Backed by the Russian government, thousands of men belonging to the Wagner
Group and various mercenary companies arrived in support of the LNA in April
2019, who managed to conquer part of the western region. In the spring of 2020,
Haftar's troops were preparing to wipe out the remnants of the Tripoli regime,
the last stronghold of the pro-Western Libyan troops, when the intervention of
Turkey equipped with new armaments (the use of drones was fundamental of his
own manufacture), he managed to force them to retreat in the eastern area.
From May 2020, thousands of Wagner fighters and mercenaries from other
companies entrenched themselves around major oil wells. This choice caused a
sharp reduction in the extraction of Libyan oil from 1.2 million to about
300-400 thousand barrels per year, aggravating the international supply crisis
of both European and African countries. The Haftar government was also heavily
affected, as oil exports were the main revenue to support the costs of
maintaining militias, purchasing armaments and ratifying alliances with the
network of local warlords linked to the LNA. A ceasefire was reached in October
2020, although in December 2021 a BBC documentary estimated that about seven
thousand Wagner mercenaries were still present in Tripoli, compared to two
thousand estimated in September 2019. In April 2022, some months after the
start of the Ukrainian war, some pro-Western journalistic sources believed that
the foreign forces deployed in support of the LNA had been reduced to about a
thousand fighters, possibly due to displacements in the Ukrainian conflict.
In recent months it seems that the Libyan political and military situation
is once again precipitating into a new civil war, despite the intervention in
the country of UN peacekeepers. The current situation sees a Government of
National Unity (GUN) established in the western region which has its
headquarters in the old capital, Tripoli, and in several areas of Tripolitania,
and is chaired by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbaiba. Backed by the United
States, Turkey and Italy, the GUN is recognized by the United Nations
Organization, but disheartened by the Libyan Parliament and therefore
technically illegitimate.
The situation could find a solution by calling as soon as possible the
elections for the Libyan President, previously scheduled for December 2021, but
suspended due to the current chaotic situation in the country and waiting for a
strong deployment of UN troops that can guarantee a peaceful development. For
this reason, the United States Federal Court has temporarily suspended the
proceedings against General Haftar, postponing them to the day after the
inauguration of the new President.
Eastern Libya is instead occupied by the National Stability Government,
based in Sirte and chaired by Fathi Baahaga (GSN), while the military forces
are led by General Khalifa Haftar. Backed by Egypt, France and Russia, the
GSN's authority is not recognized by the Arab League.
Last September 6, during the 158th meeting of the Arab League, held in
Egypt, there was a strong protest from the Egyptian government which defined
the presence of the Prime Minister of Tripoli as the representative of Libya as
illegitimate, as he was disheartened by the Libyan Parliament in Syrte. The
Egyptian representative stated that the invitation to participate in the
meeting of the Arab league would constitute "a threat to the stability
and unity of Libya" (7), thus fearing the possibility of
the outbreak of a third Libyan civil war that this time would involve a clash
between international military alignments and, it must be added, also serious
divisions between the countries belonging to the European Union. In practice, a
situation even more serious than that of Ukraine, on which it could have an
accelerating effect due to an escalation of the third world war on a total level.
The event also follows the meetings held on 31 August by the Prime Minister
of Tripoli with his Maltese counterpart in the capital Valletta, in the
presence of ministers and senior officials. The cooperation agreements
attribute a primary role to Malta in developing cooperation in various fields
such as maritime resources, illegal immigration, air links, environmental
issues and medical supplies. In addition, the government of Tripoli has begun
negotiations with the major Western oil companies, including Italy, for the
concession of the exploitation of large quantities of Libyan oil (8).
While General Haftar's troops await decisions from the GNS on the basis of
the evolution of the international situation, the question of the presence of
Russian mercenary formations, barricaded around important Libyan oil wells,
remains open instead (9).
Conclusions
From what I have been able to observe and hear, in these Sicilian holidays
dominated by the winds of many wars, I have come to the conclusion that I have
come across two contexts probably with intersecting points, and in any case
they are not very reassuring from a tourist point of view:
1) It is highly probable that, in Taormina, in addition to the domestic
ones, several foreign service apparatuses were operational in August, obviously
including Chinese ones, and that part of these activities may be repeated
during the current month of September. In particular, environmental recordings
of conversations both in person and by telephone between Russian oligarchs, and
between them and third parties, collecting, in the context of sensitive
financial data, also enlightenments on the evolution of the international
conflict. This information also includes information relating to Libya.
On the other hand, the listening center of the carabinieri station of
Taormina is remarkably powerful and able to operate a coverage of tens of
kilometers along the Ionian coast, obviously also including all the boats
sailing or anchored off the coast of Taormina.
2) Certainly, the story of the Transavia flight HV5218 Catania-Amsterdam of
25 August presents disturbing aspects such as to give rise to a long series of
questions. The main question that I keep asking myself since the appearance of
Haftar or his double in that plane is what is the respective degree of
involvement in the affair of both the Dutch and Italian governments: I think it
highly unlikely that they were not aware of what was happening. happening. And
this is clearly demonstrated by all the evidence observed in the course of the
affair, from departure to arrival, which outline an operational context agreed
in collaboration between different states. In the unlikely event that the
information had only reached him when the flight was in progress, it would be
interesting to know which intervention protocol would have been implemented.
Examined as a whole, this story generates annoying suspicious about a
premeditated and kept secret use of passengers. A treatment that could have
physically and psychically compromised their health, having, among other
things, occurred in a closed environment such as an airplane. All this in order
to conduct an international operation to transport a senior soldier from a
country rich in oil resources. Please note that this kind of camouflage
operations can’t be justified, even as an extrema ratio, neither when
there are no other options and is believed that there are serious and
well-founded reasons for alert, or clear and present danger for the safety of
the character. It is a heavy crime to put in serious danger the life of other
people.
During the Catania-Amsterdam flight I was able to observe most of the
passengers and with no little concern I got the feeling that they were all
belonging to the lower-middle class, that of low-cost flight travelers. The
expendables, as they say in western military jargon, or "expendable",
as obviously someone had also considered the crew and reputation of the
airlines involved in the affair, except for Transavia which perhaps believed it
possible to escape by chartering planes complete with personnel from minor
companies and, I understand, even in poor financial conditions. A disastrous
event for the reputation of the Dutch civil aviation, airports and intelligence
services involved, even in the case of a misdirection with the use of a double
of the Libyan general.
Those who conceived this bizarre operation did not think how impossible it
was that a senior Libyan officer (or his double), only a few weeks ago
recognized responsible for war crimes by a US federal judge and with his photos
for years spread by hundreds of online sites, could travel incognito, under the
escort of a strange crew who spoke in Arabic and Russian, using an atypical
direct flight Sicily-Holland operated through a Romanian low cost airline,
under the responsibility of a major Dutch company and under the nose of the
Italian authorities. Moreover, carrying a multitude of Dutch citizens,
obviously left in the dark about what was happening, possibly risking their
lives?
It is impossible even to hypothesize that the leaders of several Western
secret services, starting with the Dutch and Italian (and let's put also the
French ones) knew nothing about it. And to think that the International
Tribunal for War Crimes is based in the Netherlands, but if you think about it
even in that seat of obscure aspects it is not that they are lacking, on the
contrary ...
On the other hand, a lot of oddities have recently been happening on an
international level. Italy, for example, has recently signed important
bilateral agreements for a good thirty billion euros, for the import of gas
from the People's Republic of Algeria, and other large sums for a wide range of
cooperation activities, becoming its main commercial partner. It is an allied
country of Russia, as is well demonstrated by the current participation of
units of its army in the "Vostok-2022" military maneuvers, carried
out on Russian territory together with delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Belarus, China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Tajikistan, as well as Task Force
units sent from Kazakhstan, Laos, Myanmar, Nicaragua and Syria (10).
This considered, one wonders if the strong increase in investments made by the
Italian company ENI (National Hydrocarbons Agency) to make it the most
important in Algeria, as well as those recently made in Egypt, are really a
valid investment in the medium and long term, considering that these are
countries that, in the event of an outbreak of the conflict on a planetary
level, could find themselves in the adverse field, on which we would depend on
gas and oil supplies, thus finding ourselves in a condition similar to the one
we have today with Russia. Among other things, the maritime route that will
connect Algeria to Italy on a weekly basis will soon be inaugurated, with
passenger and vehicle stopovers in the port of Naples. A bad blow for the
Neapolitan police forces, already overloaded with work.
Footnotes
1) In September the Pontiff commented almost daily on the escalation of
the conflict. On 8 September, in a meeting in the Vatican in the Consistory
Hall before the pontifical representatives around the world, the Pope gave a
very clear speech on the aggravation of the situation, leaving little room for
hope for the immediate future of Humanity: " Europe and the whole
world are upset by a war of special gravity. It is a third world war 'in
pieces' that you are witnessing in the places where you are carrying out your
mission. It must be stopped immediately and in every way ". It follows the
plea of the
previous day, in front of a few thousand faithful present in the square:
"Today we are experiencing a world war, let's stop please".
https://www.ilmanifesto.it/francesco-la-terza-guerra-morld-va-fermata-subito-e-in-ogni-modo
Two days later, on 10 September, the Pontiff, manifesting his despair, was
anxious to rectify that by now it is no longer a "broken" war, but a
total one.
2) paraphrasing Angelo Buttafuoco, 2014, Buttanissima Sicilia,
Bompiani ed., Milan pp. 206; Idem, 2017, Strabuttanissima Sicilia,
La Nave di teseo ed., Milan, pp. 140. Unfortunately, the writer
refrains from addressing the importance and the characteristics of the
omnipresence of a dominant occult summit, which for several years in this blog
I have considered definable as the Dominant Power, which conditions every island
activity making it a grotesque and civilly unlivable reality.
3) I recall an Italian term rarely used today, referring to a richly
substantial and tasty meal, worthy of the splendor of ancient Rome at the time
of the gastronome Lucius Licinius Lucullus.
4) for having known several in the past decades, in Syria itself, in
London and in Ukraine. One of them was validly at my side during the
archaeological excavations I directed to Fiumedinisi (northeastern Sicily) on
behalf of the University of South Florida. I had convinced him to follow me as
a doctoral student in a sector of archaeological studies at a prestigious
European institution, thus being able to simultaneously play an intelligence
role by monitoring what was abnormal in that Sicilian territorial context, to
protect the teachers and students participating in the excavations. .
5) Barnes J.E., in The New York Times, February 18, 2020, Ex-C.I.A.
Asset, now Lybian Strongman, Face Torture accusations.
Africa News, 30 July 2022, Commander Khalifa Haftar convicted by a
U.S. Court for war crimes.
6) The Telegraph, 12 April 2018, Lybian strongman Khalifa Haftar
in a coma in Paris hospital, reports say.
Reuters, 25 April 2018, East Lybian commander Haftar returning
after treatment in Paris.
7) Agenzia Nova, 27 July 2022, The Libyan military leaders
present in the eastern and western regions of Libya, General Mohammed al-Haddad
and General Khalifa Haftar, will meet in Benghazi over the weekend for military
unification.
8) Agenzia Nova, August 31, 2022, Lybian PM holds meeting with his
Maltese counterpart in Valletta.
9) Uniacke R., in Foreign Policy, 8 July 2022, Lybian oil
markets have already felt the pinch of Libyan oil shotdowns helped along by
Russian mercenaries.
10) in China Military Online, September 1, 2022, China sends over 2,000 troops to Vostok-2022 excercises. eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2022-09/01/content_10182185.htm Read also the balance of results and the list of participating countries in: eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2022-09/06/content_10183153.htm
