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After the Manchester bombing, can President Trump keep saying America has no role to play in Libya?

Libya keeps popping up in the investigation into the attack by British suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who killed at least 22 people and injured 59 at an Ariana Grande concert Monday night. Abedi spent the last three weeks of his life in Libya, his fathers birthplace, before returning to his native Manchester.

As Britains security forces dig deeper into Abedis ISIS connections, making additional arrests in England and Libya, one thing is clear: The country we helped rid of dictator Moammar Khadafy is a mess which is just how the Islamist terrorists like it.

Even before Manchester, there was concern, first of all, that ISIS were present and growing in Libya, and secondly that Libya didnt have the strong, stable government that we needed in order to engage on counter-terrorism, a senior UN Security Council diplomat told me.

And yes, the diplomat added, Were all waiting to hear in more details what the Trump administration plans to do about it.

As of now, it seems, not much beyond a continuation of the Obama administrations policy, which blatantly violated Colin Powells first rule of regime change: You break a country, you own it.

We helped break Libya after France and Britain convinced President Barack Obama in 2011 to help overthrow its tyrant. It was in Libya that Obama officials first boasted about leading from behind. After the overthrow, they let the Europeans and the United Nations take the lead in rebuilding the country.

And its teetered on the edge of failed-state territory ever since.

Fearing an influx of refugees from the post-Khadafy chaos, the Europeans, with the help of UN officials, hastily cobbled together a legitimate government in Libya. They bet on that governments weak and pliant leader, Fayez Sarraj, to stabilize the country and stem the flood of refugees.

That effort at national unity failed miserably.

Three parallel governments competed for leadership. Armed militias vied for territory, influence and oil revenue. Among the chaos, poverty and misery, ISIS moved in to carve out its own territory. If its bases in Syria and Iraq fall, Libya will serve as a backup hub for the ever-roaming ISIS caliphate.

Meanwhile, a former Libyan army bigwig, Khalifa Haftar (whod spent 20 years of his life in Virginia, next door to CIA headquarters, as a refugee fleeing Khadafy), emerged as leader of Libyas strongest militia.

Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt are backing Haftar, believing hes best positioned to unite the army and the country. Haftar is a fiercely secular nationalist who disdains the countrys status as a plaything for foreign powers. He wants the country in one piece again, so he often talks about defeating the various Islamist militias, including those backed by the West. To his Russian backing, he wants to add American support, and has been lobbying DC for it.

Obama, the Europeans and the United Nations condemned Haftar as a spoiler, consistently betting all their chips on Sarrajs government of national accord. They wanted a symbol of unity, but it turned into a symbol of the US failed policy of leading from behind, an Arab diplomat told me, adding that Haftar is emerging now as the least-bad of Libyas options, and that he must figure highly in Libyas future leadership.

Frances new president may soon move in that direction, too. Libya needs to build a national army under civilian control with the participation of all the forces that fight terrorism across the country, including those of General Haftar, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said last week. He didnt even mention Sarraj.

What about the United States? Trump said last month he doesnt see a role in Libya, adding America has right now enough roles. That sounds like a less-eloquent version of Obamas attempt to let others do the leading thing for us.

The horror in Manchester may concentrate the mind.

Trumps vow to obliterate ISIS will prove hollow if we chase the terrorists out of Syria and Iraq just so they can plot their evil deeds from Libya.

Obama lived in an imaginary world, where America pretends it can ignore the messes left behind. Its time to break out of that mindset while theres still a chance to turn Libya around. First Trump must realize that the rear is no place for a leader.

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Manchester bombing's Libya roots: another mess Obama left for Trump - New York Post