Overview: Fighting between the Qadhafi loyalists and the rebels consumed most of the country throughout 2011. Loose munitions from Libyan stocks – in particular, the threat of terrorists obtaining Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), which could pose significant risks to regional security and civil aviation, become a significant international issue. The United States funded civilian technical specialists to work in Libya to account for MANPADS stock, but it was unclear how many MANPADS remained and where they were located. Press accounts indicated that al-Qa'ida (AQ) leader Zawahiri dispatched AQ fighters to eastern Libya.

Legislation and Law Enforcement: In previous years, Libya maintained long-standing legislation that was used to counter terrorism and terrorist financing; however, the government was not fully operable during the reporting period. The interim government has expressed its support to maintain existing legislation in the realm of terrorism and sought to cooperate with the international community on information sharing and border security.

Countering Terrorist Finance: Libya is a member of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force, a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body. However, Libya has yet to undergo a mutual evaluation assessment. (Libya's mutual evaluation assessment was scheduled for March 2011, but was cancelled because of the conflict.) A fter the fall of the Qadhafi regime, there was little information or reliable data on the scope of Libya's anti-money laundering/counterterrorist finance countermeasures, including investigations, asset forfeiture, prosecutions, and convictions. Libya's Financial Intelligence Unit was set up under the Qadhafi regime and has retained its Qadhafi-era Director.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, we refer you to the 2011 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

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