Chaos, Islamist threat plague Libya's lawless desert south

SABHA, Libya (Reuters) - Sitting on cement blocks, surrounded by shisha pipes and machine guns, a dozen or so tribesmen guard a makeshift checkpoint outside the main city in Libya's desert south.

They are there to guard against smugglers and criminals, who have multiplied since Muammar Gaddafi's downfall in the 2011 war. They also say they are ready to battle Islamist militants that Libya's neighbours and Western nations fear are crossing the North African country's porous borders.