A 5,000-strong, Italian-led international force is ready to deploy in Libya as concern grows over the threat from extremist groups operating in the country, with at least 45 people having been killed in clashes in neighbouring Tunisia.
Tunisian security forces fought off an attack near the Libyan border on Monday – the second such clash in a week. At least 45 people were killed, the interior and defence ministries said in a statement: 28 “terrorists”, seven civilians and 10 members of the security forces.
The group responsible for the attack was not identified, though the US and European governments are increasingly worried about the spread of Islamic Statein Libya.
The Italian government is working on a plan to send a force, including British troops, to help mentor and train a new Libyan army if the parliament there formally votes to support a unity government. After that vote, the government would then have to invite the Italian-led force to deploy.
Deployment would take at least a month and training would be carried out near the capital.
Monday’s attack in the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane, close to the Libyan border, began at dawn and targeted a police station and military sites. Residents were told to remain inside as soldiers and helicopters were sent to the area to help hunt for the attackers.
Associated Press reported a hospital official, Abdelkrim Sakroud, saying on state radio a 12-year-old girl was among the civilians who were killed.
In a separate incident last week, five jihadis and a civilian were reportedly killed outside the town. The increased activity along the Libya-Tunisia border follows a US airstrike on an Isis training camp in Libya last month.
There has been speculation since then that fighters have crossed into Tunisia to seek sanctuary. Tunisian members of Isis have also been reported crossing the border to fight in their home country after being trained in Libya.
Chaos has engulfed Libya since the Nato-backed ousting of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Rival administrations which have vied for power since mid-2014 are being urged to sign up to a UN-brokered national unity government to help restore stability and tackle a growing jihadi presence. Isis and other extremist organisations have exploited the power vacuum to seize significant territory along the coast around the central city of Sirte, as well as around Sabratha, between Tripoli and the Tunisian border.
The Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, said on Sunday that the conditions were not yet in place for a military intervention. “As long as I am prime minister, Italy will not go to Libya for an invasion with 5,000 men,” Renzi told Canale 5 television.
The Italian government has repeatedly stressed that such troops would be used only in an advisory and training role and not in direct combat with Isis.
His comments followed those of the US ambassador to Italy, John Phillips, who was quoted in Corriere della Sera on Friday as saying that Italy could send up to 5,000 troops. “We need to make Tripoli safe and ensure that Isis is no longer free to strike,” he said.
A host of countries have volunteered to contribute to the Italian-led force,including the UK, the US, Germany, France and Arab countries. The US is already engaged in airstrikes against Isis targets in Libya. French and other special forces are also on the ground.
Asked about the presence of British special forces, the Ministry of Defence said it never comments on their movements. The MoD announced last week it was sending 50 troops to Tunisia to help train its forces.
In a phone call on Monday, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, told his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, that the fight against terrorism had to involve Libya and Yemen, not just Syria.
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