Libya

Libya's Rebel Army in Disarray as U.K. Sends Military Advisers

As U.K. plans to send military advisers to help.

They’ve been backed with a bombing campaign led by an alliance of some of the most powerful countries in the world and they’ve been the topic of nearly every foreign-policy discussion for the past month, but a serious question remains about the Libyan rebels: Is there even a united rebel army? Two different generals, Gen. Khalifa Hifter and Gen. Abdul Fattah Younes, have claimed to be in control of the rebel army, while the civilian leadership, the Transitional National Council, has put Younes in charge. NATO’s credibility has suffered as the rebel leaders fight among themselves for who is in charge, as British advisers will soon arrive to try to sort the mess out and the once gung-ho French government has begun squabbling about future action. One ray of good news came through Tuesday: A shipment of 400 AK-47 rifles reached the rebels—and instead of going to either of the generals, they went directly into the hands of a petroleum engineer who has been training other civilians.