The Libyan Armed Forces’ Commander has said Libya is ready to cooperate with Russia in fighting terrorism.
According to the Fars news agency Brigadier General Khalifa Hafte said that if Russia proposes a plan for fighting terrorism in Libya, Tripoli will cooperate with Moscow.
It is probably unlikely that Russia would become involved in Libya while there is no formal government in place.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
Sputnik news reports: “We welcome support from Russia in fighting terrorism,” the agency quotes Hafter as telling reporters after his meeting with United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Chief Martin Kobler in the city of Marj, Northeastern Libya.
The military leader assured that if Russia proposes a plan for fighting terrorism in Libya, Tripoli will cooperate with Moscow, adding that “Russians are serious in [the] fight against terrorists”.
Libya is currently run by two main rival governments, which are entangled in a violent, nationwide power struggle. Each side is backed by powerful armed groups which have dominated the Libyan scene since the elimination of the country’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The country’s capital Tripoli, is controlled by a political faction, known as the General National Congress, which was set up after an armed group called Libya Dawn seized the capital, Tripoli, last summer.
The UN-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni is based in the eastern city of Bayda; its elected parliament moved from the capital Tripoli to Tobruk.
On Thursday, rival Libyan politicians signed a deal on a unity government despite opposition on both sides, in what the United Nations described as a “first step” towards ending the crisis.
World powers have urged the warring factions to break a political deadlock that has allowed jihadists and people-smugglers to flourish.
Meanwhile, the jihadist group Daesh (also known as ISIL/ISIS) has increased its presence in the Libyan Mediterranean city of Sirte, having apparently established its new base there, where it can “generate oil revenue and plan terror attacks”.
Earlier this week, twenty US commandos, armed with assault rifles and bullet proof vests had their top secret mission compromised.
The special forces unit dispersed out of the Libyan airbase, after local commanders questioned their presence in the war torn country, and the Libyan air force posted their pictures on facebook.
Niamh Harris
Be the first to comment