By Camille Tawil
The Libyan jihadis who tried to but failed in their attempt to topple Colonel Qaddafi's regime in the 1990s have now largely been replaced with a new generation of young men, many of whom, though still opposed to the Libyan regime, have also embraced a wider goal, a goal associated with that of al-Qaeda's worldwide struggle against the West. An organized jihadist movement appeared in Libya in the early 1990s, though this does not mean that jihadis did not exist in Libya before that time. In fact, they did exist for a long time under Colonel Qaddafi’s regime, but they operated as small groups, with little or no cooperation. And when they did try to do something, they were heavily crushed by the government.
The Libyan jihadis who tried to but failed in their attempt to topple Colonel Qaddafi's regime in the 1990s have now largely been replaced with a new generation of young men, many of whom, though still opposed to the Libyan regime, have also embraced a wider goal, a goal associated with that of al-Qaeda's worldwide struggle against the West. An organized jihadist movement appeared in Libya in the early 1990s, though this does not mean that jihadis did not exist in Libya before that time. In fact, they did exist for a long time under Colonel Qaddafi’s regime, but they operated as small groups, with little or no cooperation. And when they did try to do something, they were heavily crushed by the government.
