Libya Dawn fighters fire an artillery cannon at IS militants near Sirte March 19, 2015. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

By Ulf Laessing

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Standing guard at his frontline post, Libyan soldier Mohammed Abu Shager can see where Islamic State militants are holed up with their heavy weaponry less than a kilometer away.

The militants have effectively taken over former dictator Muammar Gaddafi's home city of Sirte as they exploit a civil war between two rival governments to expand in North Africa.

"Every night they open fire on us," said Abu Shebar, who with comrades on Sirte's western outskirts holds the last position of troops belonging to one of the two warring Libyan governments, the General National Congress, which controls the capital Tripoli and most of the west of the country.

"They are only active at night," he said, pointing to the militants' position in a house just down the road blocked by sandbags. He sleeps in a shed next to his firing positions where used tank shells litter the ground.

Libya, which has descended into near anarchy since NATO warplanes helped rebels overthrow Gaddafi in a 2011 civil war, is now the third big stronghold for the Sunni Islamist group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, which declared a Caliphate to rule over all Muslims from territory it holds in Syria and Iraq.

Islamic State fighters became a major force last year in Derna, a jihadi bastion in Libya's east, and quickly spread to the biggest eastern city Benghazi, where they have conducted suicide bombings on streets divided among armed factions.

By occupying Sirte over the past four months they have claimed a major city in the center of the country, astride the coastal highway that links the east and west.

They made their presence known to the world in February by kidnapping and beheading more than 20 Egyptian Christian oil workers on a beach and posting video on the Internet.

In Libya, the group deploys locally-recruited fighters, led by envoys sent from Syria and Iraq. Those include Libyans returned from fighting on Syrian and Iraqi frontlines, steeped in the group's ethos of extreme violence and permanent warfare between those it considers true Sunni Muslims and all others.

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Libya Dawn fighters look at Islamic State militant positions near Sirte March 19, 2015. REUTERS/G …

Their gains in Libya, just across the sea from Italy, are worrying European governments and north African neighbors. But so far Western countries, which are bombing Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq, have steered clear of that sort of intervention in Libya.

BREAKDOWN

Islamic State's expansion in Libya has been helped by a breakdown of state authority.

Neither of Libya's two warring governments exercises much formal control of territory. Both field troops that call themselves armies but are in fact loose alliances of former rebels who toppled Gaddafi, refused to disarm, and have since fallen out along tribal, political and regional lines.

Both governments pay fighters with cash from Libya's oil exports, giving them funds and incentive to fuel the war indefinitely.

Islamic State opposes both governments, exploiting local resentments and power vacuums. It took Sirte from the government based in Tripoli, which draws its support mainly from fighters from the western city of Misrata, who emerged as some of the most powerful in the country after Gaddafi's fall.

Islamic State gunmen arrived in the area in pickup trucks in February when the Misrata forces were busy 150 km to the east trying to wrestle away Libya's biggest oil port, Es Sider, from forces backing the other government, now based in the east.

With Misrata troops having spread out on front lines stretching 1,000 km, militants swiftly seized a Sirte hospital, a university, the grand Ouagadougou hall where Gaddafi once hosted African leaders and a radio station broadcasting Quranic verses.

When the Misratis returned in force to Sirte in March after failing to seize Es Sider, Islamic State had already set up checkpoints. The jihadists have since steadily widened their control. The last checkpoint held by the Misratis is now about a kilometer further from the city center than it was when Reuters visited two months ago.

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A Libya Dawn fighter shoulders a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher at a checkpoint near Sirte …

"They are now shelling the power station so we've moved back the last checkpoint for civilians," said Yuhami Ahmed, a commander of the Misrata troops based on the western outskirts near a plant that supplies the area with electricity.

The Misrata forces have surrounded Sirte and are diverting traffic on the coastal road to the desert hinterland. Anti-aircraft guns guard checkpoints.

Sirte residents who pass between the two frontlines to get petrol in suburbs under control of the Misrata forces describe hardship inside a city no longer served by the state oil firm.

"We only have power sometimes," said the owner of a cafe at a petrol station who gave his name as Salah.

Another resident fetched water in a closed restaurant used by the Misratis as a rest area. He said he had no water at home.

GADDAFI LOYALISTS

The Misrata forces compare the standoff to 2011, when Gaddafi made his last stand in Sirte while they besieged and shelled it. Gaddafi was eventually captured and lynched by rebels outside Sirte after trying to escape on the same road again blockaded by the Misratis.

Yuhami, the Misrata commander near the power plant, said their new opponent Islamic State was strong because of the backing of Gaddafi loyalists and foreigners.

"They have been joined by foreigners, Sudanese, Tunisians, Egyptians, Yemenis," he said, standing in front of Toyota truck, the standard vehicle of his troops. "They have 106's," he said, referring to large caliber guns.

He and several of his men put the number of Islamic State militants in Sirte at more than hundred.

So far, Islamic State has not gained territory as quickly in Libya as it did in Iraq and Syria, where it portrays itself as defenders of Sunni Islam in sectarian wars against governments led by Shi'ite Muslims.

Libyans are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslims, and their divisions tend to be tribal and regional rather than sectarian. Islamic State fighters have had to compete with rival Libyan militant groups who resent the presence of outsiders.

But Sirte, where homes were looted by Misrata rebels after Gaddafi's fall, is fertile ground. Many residents feel they were losers in the revolution and harbor resentment towards the Misrata fighters.

"Before the revolution life was so much better. We had electricity, security. Schools were always open," said Mohammed Ali, a student living in a suburb near the power plant.

"They (Islamic State) are fine. They leave you alone unless you fight them," he said.

He said he had seen Tunisians and other foreigners joining the group, and also Gaddafi loyalists. That would be a similar pattern to Iraq, where former officers from secular dictator Saddam Hussein's army have supported Islamic State.

The group has managed to stage suicide bombings on Misrata forces near the power plant and at highway checkpoints, including one on the outskirts of Misrata which frightened residents.

"We are worried about Daesh," said Ali al-Mahdy, a bookshop owner in central Misrata, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State which the group considers derogatory. "We need to fight them."

(Editing by Peter Graff)

Reuters Videos
Islamic State seizes parts of Syria's historic Palmyra city - monitor

By Sylvia Westall

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters tightened their grip on the historic city of Palmyra in Syria, days after capturing a provincial capital in neighboring Iraq, suggesting the growing momentum of the group which a monitor says now holds half of Syrian territory.

The twin successes pile pressure not just on Damascus and Baghdad, but also throw doubt on U.S. strategy to rely almost exclusively on air strikes to defeat Islamic State.

Extending its reach in the region, fighters loyal to the Sunni Muslim group have also consolidated their grip on the Libyan city of Sirte, hometown of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Islamic State said in a statement posted by followers on Twitter on Thursday it was in full charge of Palmyra, including its military bases, marking the first time it had taken a city directly from the Syrian military and allied forces.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said

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Residents walk near a military truck that belongs to forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al …

the al Qaeda offshoot now controls more than half of Syrian territory following more than four years of conflict which grew out of an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

The ultra hardline group has destroyed antiquities and monuments in Iraq and there are fears it might now devastate Palmyra, home to renowned Roman-era ruins including well-preserved temples, colonnades and a theater.

The U.N. cultural agency UNESCO describes the site as a historical crossroads between the Roman Empire, India, China and ancient Persia and a testament to the world's diverse heritage.

"We may have different beliefs... different views, but we have to protect such incredible vestiges of human history," UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova told Reuters Television.

The Observatory's founder Rami Abdulrahman said Islamic State fighters had entered the historical sites by early on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of destruction.

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A soldier loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad carries his weapon in Palmyra city May 19, 2015 …

"This is the fall of a civilization," Syria's antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters. "Human, civilized society has lost the battle against barbarism."

"WAR CRIMES

Al-Azhar, the center of Islamic learning in Egypt, called on the world to protect Palmyra, saying the destruction or looting of cultural heritage was religiously forbidden.

Clashes in the Palmyra area since Wednesday killed at least 100 pro-government fighters, said Abdulrahman, who bases his information on a network of sources on the ground.

Syrian state media said pro-government National Defense Forces had evacuated civilians before withdrawing.

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In this picture released on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 by the website of Islamic State militants, Islam …

The assault on the city is part of a westward advance by Islamic State that is adding to pressures on Syria's overstretched army and militia, which have also recently lost ground in the northwest and south.

Capturing the city marks a strategic military gain for Islamic State, because it is home to modern army installations and situated on a desert highway linking government-held Damascus and Homs with Syria's mainly rebel-held east.

The European Union's foreign policy chief expressed fears that thousands of people in Palmyra were at risk as well as the cultural sites.

"Mass killings and deliberate destruction of archaeological and cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq amount to a war crime," Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Although Islamic State has seized large chunks of Syria, the areas it holds are mostly sparsely inhabited. Syria's main cities, including the capital Damascus, are located on its western flank along the border with Lebanon and the coastline.

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This file photo released on Sunday, May 17, 2015, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows the …

In the northeast, Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led air strikes have been pressing an attack on Islamic State in Hasaka province, which links land held by the group in Iraq. Scores of its members have been killed this week and state television also reported progress by the army in the area on Thursday.

IRAQ OFFENSIVE

Palmyra's fall came just five days after the Islamist group seized Ramadi, capital of Iraq's largest province, Anbar.

Iraqi forces said on Thursday that they had thwarted a third attempt by Islamic State militants to break through their defensive lines east of Ramadi overnight.

Police and pro-government Sunni fighters exchanged mortar and sniper fire with insurgents across the new frontline in Husaiba al-Sharqiya, about halfway between Ramadi and a base where a counter-offensive to retake the city is being prepared.

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A Syrian soldier fires artillery shells towards Islamic State group jihadists in northeastern Palmyr …

The loss of Ramadi handed the Iraqi government its most significant setback in a year and exposed the limitations of both the army and U.S.-led air strikes designed to "degrade and destroy" Islamic State.

The United States plans to deliver 1,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq in June to combat suicide bombings like those that helped the Islamist group seize Ramadi, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Thursday.

Iraq's government has ordered Shi'ite militia, some of which have close ties to Iran, to join the battle to retake Ramadi, raising fears of renewed sectarian strife in the country.

Washington wants the counter-offensive to include both Sunni and Shi'ite forces under the direct government command.

The militants in Ramadi are seeking to consolidate their gains in Anbar province by pushing east to the Habbaniya base where security forces and Shi'ite paramilitaries are massing.

"Daesh is desperately trying to breach our defenses but this is impossible now," Police major Khalid al-Fahdawi said, referring to Islamic State. "They tried overnight to breach our defenses but they failed. Army helicopters were waiting for them."

Habbaniya is one of only a few remaining pockets of government-held territory in Anbar, and lies between Ramadi and the town of Falluja, which has been controlled by Islamic State for more than a year.

(Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny in Beirut, Kinda Makieh in Damascus and Isabel Coles in Erbil; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Dominic Evans)

Reuters Videos
Investigators believe victims in Washington, DC arson and homicide case were held overnight

WASHINGTON (AP) — Savvas Savopoulos was energized. He spent the day sprucing up his northern Virginia martial arts studio for its grand opening with his family's longtime housekeeper. Around 5:30 p.m., his wife called, telling him to come home to watch their 10-year-old son because she had plans.

The housekeeper, Nelitza Gutierrez, was one of the last people to see Savopoulos alive.

The next day, May 14, firefighters were called to the wealthy executive's Washington mansion, where they found the bodies of 46-year-old Savopoulos, his wife, Amy, 47; their son, Philip; and another housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa. All were slain before the fire was set, police said, and three had been stabbed or bludgeoned.

A week later, investigators have provided few details. Late Wednesday, they announced they had identified a suspect, 34-year-old Daron Dylon Wint, but released no information about what his motive might have been.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Wint on charges of first-degree murder, police said.

Investigators used DNA analysis conducted at a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms lab to identify Wint, and his name has been known to federal authorities since Tuesday, a law enforcement official involved in the investigation said. Investigators believe Wint worked for one of Savopoulos' businesses, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

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This combination of undated photos provided by the Washington, D.C., police shows Daron Dylon Wint. …

The U.S. Marshals Service has joined the search for Wint, said Drew Wade, an agency spokesman. Wint had ties to New York, and police there were working with District of Columbia authorities to help track him down, but so far he has not been spotted in the metropolitan area.

The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/1Lp6b78 ), citing three unnamed law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation, reported that the DNA evidence came from the crust of a Domino's pizza that had been ordered to the home the night before the bodies were found.

A person who answered the phone Thursday morning at a Domino's about 2 miles from the house confirmed that the pizza had been delivered there from that store but directed further questions to a company spokesman, who did not immediately return a message.

Following the release of Wint's name, police searched an address for him in Lanham, Maryland. Online court records show that he was convicted of second-degree assault in Maryland in 2009 and sentenced to 30 days in jail. He also pleaded guilty in 2010 to malicious destruction of property, and a burglary charge in that case was dropped, court records show.

Robin Ficker, a defense attorney who represented Wint in what he called some minor criminal and traffic cases between 2005 and 2009, said he doesn't think Wint is violent or capable of murder.

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A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigator walks out of the fire-damaged mul …

"My impression of him — I remember him rather well — is that he wouldn't hurt a fly. He's a very nice person," Ficker said.

Text messages and voicemails from the Savopouloses to their confused and frightened household staff suggest something was amiss in the house many hours before the bodies were found. Their blue Porsche turned up in suburban Maryland. It too had been set on fire.

The Savopouloses lived in Woodley Park, where multimillion-dollar homes are protected by fences and elaborate security systems and local and federal law enforcement officers are a constant presence, in part because Vice President Joe Biden's official residence is nearby.

On Tuesday, half of their block was cordoned off by police tape, and half a dozen police vehicles were parked near the $4.5 million house. Garbage bags blocked the burned-out second-story windows.

In the absence of solid information from law enforcement, speculation has run rampant about who might have killed them and why. No one broke into the house, police have said, suggesting the family may have known the killer or killers.

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Washington police secure the vicinity around the fire-damaged multimillion-dollar home in northwest …

Gutierrez said in an interview Wednesday that the Savopouloses were not hyper-vigilant about security and sometimes left house or garage doors open. The family had jewelry and an art collection inside the home, she said.

Gutierrez said she believes someone was in the house with the family before 3 p.m. May 13, when Figueroa normally would have left for the day.

There was a stark contrast, Gutierrez said, between Savvas Savopoulos' mood when he left the martial arts studio and the flustered-sounding voicemail he left for her at 9:30 that night. While he had said earlier that his wife was going out that night, he said in the voicemail that she was sick in bed. He said Figueroa was staying overnight. He also said Figueroa's cellphone was dead and the family didn't have a charger for it.

"It doesn't make any sense. How come you don't have another phone — iPhones are all over," Gutierrez said. "He was kind of building stories."

On the day of the fire, Gutierrez received a text message from Amy that read, in part, "I am making sure you do not come today."

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Investigators inspect the fire-damaged multimillion-dollar home in northwest Washington home, Wednes …

Gutierrez called Amy immediately, but it went to voicemail. She texted Amy but didn't get a response.

Also that morning, Figueroa's husband, Bernardo Alfaro, went to the house and knocked on the door, but no one answered. While he was there, Alfaro told WJLA-TV that Savvas Savopoulos called his cellphone and told him that Amy had gone to the hospital and Figueroa had accompanied her.

"My feeling was that somebody was inside," Alfaro said. He continued trying to call his wife and got no answer.

The Savopouloses' blue Porsche was parked on the street outside the home at the time, Alfaro said. After the slayings, police found it in a parking lot in New Carrollton, Maryland, about 13 miles from the house. The car was found about 2 miles from the listed address for Wint.

The Savopouloses' relatives have made few public statements and have not returned phone calls.

The couple has two surviving teenage daughters who attend boarding schools in other states. Gutierrez said she has seen the daughters since the killings and that they were too distraught to speak.

Savvas Savopoulos was the CEO of American Iron Works, a construction-materials supplier based in Hyattsville, Maryland, that has been involved in major projects in downtown Washington. Company representatives have declined to comment. Savopoulos moonlighted as a martial-arts instructor.

Gutierrez, who worked for the family for 20 years, said she feels guilty that she didn't check on the Savopouloses.

"This is a nightmare for me. I can't believe they are gone," she said. "I loved this family very deeply and the little boy and my friend Vera."

___

Associated Press writer Colleen Long in New York and photographer Alex Brandon in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols .

Herculean cleanup effort

"Lack of hope"

When it comes to world traveling, nothing beats the sights and sounds of Pakistan. While traveling through the country, you might stumble upon a Navy SEAL mission to kill the most wanted terrorist in the world, get acid thrown in your face, or earn a diploma from a fake American university. One person from Saudi Arabia paid $400,000 for various degrees and certificates. Generally, counterfeiting signals strong demand for a product. However, withless and less people with college degrees actually getting jobs, eventually, you'll look at the rich Saudi who blew $400,000 on a fake degree and the unemployed American graduate and wonder, "What's the difference?"

As The Daily Mail reports:

A Karachi-based IT company, Axact, has been accused by software agencies of operating 370 bogus institutions. The company's fake education empire encompasses hundreds of high-schools and universities with mostly American names. At least 370 fictitious high-schools and universities operated by Axact were discovered by an American media group. The firm, with a team of over 2,000 employees who are mostly educated youth in Karachi, creates fraudulent websites, mainly using deceptive tactics.

One of the "schools" is Barkley University:

The American version of Axact is Corinthian Colleges. The "Heald" branch gamed its job placement numbers to attract students. The LA Times reported:

Heald considered graduates "placed" in jobs they had well before they enrolled. At Heald's Honolulu campus, staff members considered a 2011 accounting graduate to be "employed in the field" based on a food service job she had at Taco Bell since 2006.

Everest College, another Corinthian subsidiary, created fake jobs to boost their employment numbers. The college paid contractors $2,000 to hire graduates for 30 days. Corinthian filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, and 78,000 students are requesting loan forgiveness from the federal government.

Apparently, part of the secret Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is exporting our educational fraud to Pakistan. And thanks to free trade, consumers around the world can benefit.

Here's one guy who wasn't buying degrees from the Pakistanis:

(zerohedge.com)