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Nations discuss how to snuff out Islamic State in Libya Libya’s political chaos slows response to Islamic State
(about 9 hours later)
ROME — Nations fighting the Islamic State discussed Tuesday how to prevent the extremist group from gaining a stranglehold in resource-rich Libya, though no one appeared resolved just yet to launch a second military intervention in the North African country this decade. ROME — The military strategy for eliminating the Islamic State in Libya appeared on hold Tuesday as nations fighting the extremist group said they could help the North African country re-establish security once its long-awaited new government is established.
Speaking at a 23-nation conference in Rome, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the last thing anyone wants “is a false caliphate with access to billions of dollars in oil revenue.” He said the U.S. and its European and Arab partners should increase security training and help Libya’s military “not just to clear territory, but to create a safe environment for the government to stand up and operate.” But Libya is in political crisis, more than four years after a U.S.-led military effort helped topple dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Neither the U.S. nor anyone else at a 23-nation conference in Rome spoke of a second military intervention.
More than four years after a U.S.-led military effort helped topple dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Libya is mired in chaos. Since 2014, it has been split between two rival authorities. A new unity government still doesn’t have parliamentary approval. Although much of the conference focused on anti-Islamic State efforts in Syria and Iraq, the concluding statement of foreign ministers also noted Islamic State’s “growing influence” in Libya. And U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued his own warning, saying “the last thing in the world you want is a false caliphate with access to billions of dollars of oil revenue.” He called for more security training and undefined military support for Libya.
Amid the chaos, an Islamic State affiliate has carved out territory in the center of the country and fighters, wearied by coalition air strikes in Iraq and Syria, are flocking to the new front. Since 2014, Libya has been split between two rival authorities. A new unity government still doesn’t have parliamentary approval. And an Islamic State affiliate is carving out territory in the center of Libya while militants, wearied by coalition air strikes in Iraq and Syria, flock to the new front.
Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter warned that IS militants were trying to “consolidate their own footprint” in Libya by setting up training sites, drawing in foreign recruits and using the levers of economic power to raise money through taxes. The U.S. won’t allow the group to “sink roots” in Libya, he said, but provided no indication of any U.S. military campaign was imminent. Despite increased alarm, the U.S. and the European and Arab countries only resolved at Tuesday’s meeting to “continue to monitor closely developments there, and stand ready to support the Government of National Accord in its efforts to establish peace and security for the Libyan people.”
European countries, too, are weighing options. Kerry indicated political progress might be occurring behind the scenes, describing Libya as “on the brink of getting a new government” after months of waiting. But at a news conference later in the day, Kerry sidestepped a question that specifically concerned military strategy in Libya by focusing mainly on Syria and on President Barack Obama’s determination not to build a significant U.S. military troop presence anywhere.
Italy, whose southernmost territory is less than 300 miles from Libya, has indicated it would participate in a U.N.-authorized peacekeeping or stabilization mission. It has moved aircraft to a base in Sicily, but insists that any action first requires a stable Libyan government and other international assistance. The instability has led to hundreds of thousands of migrants using Libya-based smugglers to reach Italy. The meeting in Rome comes days after Obama convened a National Security Council meeting dedicated to Libya. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter also warned that IS militants were consolidating there by establishing training sites, attracting foreign recruits and raising tax money.
“We cannot imagine spring passing with the situation in Libya still stalled,” Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti told Italy’s Corriere della Sera paper last week. Britain and France also are considering military possibilities, with similar caveats. European countries, too, are weighing options, and Kerry won support from the meeting’s host, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. Italy, whose southernmost point is less than 300 miles from Libya, is the point of entry for hundreds of thousands of migrants using Libya-based smugglers to reach Europe.
A senior U.S. official attending the talks stressed that “when we see a threat to the United States or external plotting, we will not hesitate to act upon that threat.” He cited a November airstrike that that killed Abu Nabil, a top Islamic State leader in Libya. Appearing alongside Kerry, Gentiloni said Italy would provide security assistance once Libya’s government is confirmed and makes the appropriate request. He said “many countries” were working up such plans, but “we need a political process” first. France and Britain seem to have similar reservations.
But any broader campaign would require talks with coalition partners and the Libyans, said the official, who briefed reporters on the discussions on condition he not be quoted by name. He said President Barack Obama convened a National Security Council meeting last week “focused on the Libya question.” In Washington, a key lawmaker said Western countries shouldn’t wait.
“I don’t think we can afford at this time to put off actions that might interrupt IS’s operational capabilities” in Libya, said Rep. Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat.
Tuesday’s conference in Rome ended with similarly vague pledges to accelerate the Islamic State’s defeat in Syria and Iraq.
Gentiloni said IS has lost 40 percent of the land it once held in Iraq, and 20 percent in Syria.
And Kerry cited the coalition’s achievements over the last 16 months: 10,000 airstrikes, 90 leading militants killed, oil sites targeted, finances disrupted, most of the Turkish border sealed off, and heavy weapons, training sites and infrastructure all hammered by the U.S.-led campaign.
Neither outlined any new military steps from any coalition member, and there was no indication when the fight would move to the key Iraqi city of Mosul or the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, Syria.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he’ll lay out a plan to allies in Europe next week for intensifying the military campaigns in Iraq and Syria, and solicit new contributions. The plan includes Mosul and Raqqa’s recapture.
“I’m going to say, OK guys, let’s match up what is needed to win with what you have, and give everybody the opportunity to make an assignment for themselves,” he told reporters.
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Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Deb Riechmann contributed from Washington.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.