In an article entitled “Battling Daesh on the ground in Libya”, written by Richard Galustian and carried by Gulf News, the author begins by writing that:
“Last week, it was evident that the West had replaced diplomacy with military action to fight Daesh, which will have serious security implications in the long term for all the ‘frontline’ states of Europe. Not only that, but the European Union’s (EU) survival as we know it is at stake.”
He comments on the West’s secret special forces and air strike attacks in fighting against Daesh, observing how “Daesh in Benghazi and around Sabratha is retreating to fallback positions to fight another day. But the fight against extremists is not over by a long shot. Tackling Sirte is a more difficult matter. Daesh has deployed thousands of volunteers, most from either Tunisia or sub-Saharan Africa, and where it holds 110 miles (177km) of coastline.”
The author ends his article on a rather ominous note, stating that: “Clearly, Daesh succeeding in Libya will seal the fate and demise of Europe as we know it. A larger, relentless military solution in Libya is the only option sooner rather than later.”
Vladimir Ivanov, Director of the EastWest Institute's Moscow Office (studio guest); Ashraf Siddiqui, current affairs analyst (Doha); and Paolo Salom, Corriere della Sera daily newspaper commented on the issue.
