WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US obstruction of a UN Security Council statement condemning the bloody strike against a detention center for immigrants in Libya's Tajoura shows US support for retired Major General Khalifa Hafer and his troops, who have been accused of being behind the strike, analysts say.
The support comes at the expense of the internationally recognized National Reconciliation Government led by Fayez al-Sarraj, whose areas of control are under military control by Hafar's forces, although the UN considers the government of reconciliation the only legitimate authority in the country.
"It is not surprising, it is a sign of a change in US policy toward Libya," said James Dorsey, a researcher at the Rajaratnam Institute for International Studies in Singapore.
Dorsey sees the United States dealing with Haftar as "confronting the Islamists" and receiving support from its two main allies in the region, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He also enjoys public and unspoken support from Egypt, France and Russia,
Karim Bitar, a researcher at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations in Paris, said: "The United States' position is fully in line with its policy in recent years, as it has turned a blind eye to abuses by its human rights allies."
He added that the administration of US President Donald Trump and its allies in the Gulf "embraced the methods of Hafr radical and his autocratic agenda."
"The intense pressure campaign by Haftar and the UAE over the past two months has convinced the White House that the forces led by Haftar may become a partner to deal with, despite accusations of war crimes," said Andreas Craig, a researcher at King's College in London.
"The idea that Haftar is capable of a decisive victory in Libya has resonated with US national security adviser John Bolton," he said.
It is noteworthy that the United States had blocked on Wednesday the issuance of a statement on the Security Council condemning the air strike in Tajwara east of Tripoli, according to diplomatic sources.
The sources said that during an emergency session closed by the Council on the bombing lasted two hours, Britain submitted a draft statement condemning the air strike Hafter accused of calling for a ceasefire in Libya and return to the dialogue table.
According to a European diplomatic source, Americans said during the session that they asked for a green light from Washington, which condemned the attack when it happened, to approve the text of the British statement, but the talks ended without the approval of the United States.
About 60 people were killed and more than 130 others were seriously injured in the strike on Wednesday night, a refugee shelter in Tajoura, the eastern suburbs of the Libyan capital Tripoli.