Libya releases ‘rehabilitated’ Islamists

Libya releases over 200 members of a terror group following their completion of a reconciliation program.

By ADAM GONN / THE MEDIA LINE
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi 311 (photo credit: AP)
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi 311
(photo credit: AP)
“The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group is no longer a threat,” Hartwelladded, pointing out that anyone who is released is kept under closesurveillance. “There have been sporadic releases and there have notbeen any attacks on the government so in that sense it has been asuccess.”
Counter-terrorism expert Claude Moniquet said that in addition to Libyaand Saudi, both Algeria and Morocco have their own reconciliationprograms, but their success has been limited.
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“I don’t think it’s working,” Moniquet told The Media Line. “In Moroccothere has been a reconciliation program since the bombing attempts inCasablanca May 2003, after which there were arrests and people sent tojail. But the same people tried to blow themselves up again in2008.”      
“If you take Algeria, there has been a program in action for the lastseven or eight years and it does not work there either,” he said.”[While] some people are serious and have left the program. Thesecurity service is arresting people who are back in terrorism.”  
The Algerian government has been encouraging former terrorists to laydown their arms and reintegrate into society but thousands of formerterrorists in Algeria claim they are being barred from employment inthe public sector and discriminated against because of theirbackground.