OFAC Designates Libyan al Qaeda Affiliate

By Douglas Farah

The Treasury Department's OFAC designation today of leaders and entities affiliated with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) is an important step in at least tracking and identifying the leaders of lesser-known al Qaeda affiliates. It will have little real economic impact because the group does not have assets in the United States, but if the measure is extended to the UN, it could make it more difficult for the group to operate.

The LIFG was formed in Afghanistan in 1995, tried to overthrow Moamar Gadaffi in Libya in the mid-1996s and then decamped into exile, largely in Great Britain, when Libyan security forces cracked down. There, the LIFG has served as a part of the hub of organizations that have been facilitating the movement of money, false documents and couriers to al Qaeda affiliates around the world.

One of the most interesting people designated was Abd al-Rahman al-Faqih, a senior leader of the LIFG and one of the chief purveyors of false passports and money to LIFG organizations in different parts of the world. He also appears to be a key link between LIFG and the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group (GICM). The GICM carried out the May 16, 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca that killed more people and injured more than 100. Go here to read the full blog.

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