Libyan rebels not with al-Qaida

WASHINGTON – Despite fears that Islamic extremists may be playing a hidden role in the rebellion against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, the U.S. intelligence community has found no organized presence of al-Qaida among the Libyan opposition, American officials say.

A U.S. intelligence gathering effort that began shortly after anti-Gadhafi forces started seizing towns in eastern Libya last month – including eavesdropping on rebel communications and inserting CIA officers and equipment into rebel-held areas – has not uncovered a significant presence of jihadists among the insurgents.

“We’re keeping an eye out for extremist activity in Libya, but we haven’t seen much, if any, to date,” said a U.S. counterterrorism official.

“We’ve not seen direct linkage between the Libyan opposition and Islamic extremists,” a defense official added.

A congressional staffer who receives intelligence briefings did not dispute those assessments. But the aide added, “There ought to be a concern and recognition that there may be such a linkage. There should also be an appreciation that the opposition is not a uniform, monolithic movement.”

The Obama administration is sensitive to any suggestion that al-Qaida, which has long opposed Gadhafi, could somehow benefit from the U.S.-led international military effort in Libya.

Gadhafi repeatedly has claimed that the insurgents are dominated by al-Qaida, a charge that opposition leaders in eastern Libya have strongly denied.

Islamic fundamentalists clearly are among the rebels but no organized segment is pursuing a Taliban-style government or al-Qaida agenda, Libya experts say.

“Who is behind the revolution? It’s not the Islamists or the jihadists,” said Noman Benotman, a former Libyan militant now with the Quilliam Foundation, a London-based group staffed by former Islamic radicals. “It’s ordinary people, moderates, liberals, lawyers and writers.”

The rebellion has a heavy tribal cast, with members of the armed forces from Benghazi and its environs defecting to join their relatives from the eastern tribes.

“There’s no evidence that any of the leaders are extremists, and to the extent that we know anything, they seem to be secular professionals,” said Robert Pape, a terrorism expert at the University of Chicago who has traveled to Libya.

Charles Faddis, who led a CIA team in northern Iraq before the 2003 invasion, and who retired in 2008, questioned whether U.S. intelligence community really understands who the rebels are.

“Everyone wants to believe the opposition consists of individuals dedicated to a democratic revolution,” said Faddis. “Is that true?”

“Is this a political movement or a tribal one? What we need is solid intelligence on the nature of the opposition, who the key figures are, who is going to emerge on top. I suspect we do not have that, because our collection inside Libya, a denied area, has probably been very weak for a very long time.”