Secrecy shrouds Europe's new Libya plan

British PM David Cameron has come under renewed pressure to reveal details of possible UK military action in Libya as EU ministers are about to meet to discuss sending security units to the North African country.

Some 1,000 British troops may be dispatched to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, as part of a 6,000-strong coalition purportedly to train Libyan soldiers and fight Daesh terrorists.

Top British lawmakers are demanding that information be released on what exact role the UK forces will play in Libya. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond had said last week that no decisions had been made by then.

“Clarity is now overdue. We need transparency about the difficulties and the challenges. Any deployment would need a parliamentary vote, as would airstrikes,” chairman of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Crispin Blunt said.

Reports say a number of British forces have been operating in Libya since the beginning of 2016.

Hammond, who has been accused of being “less than candid” about the UK’s stance on sending troops to Libya, arrived on a surprise visit in Tripoli on Monday.

His trip comes following those of the foreign minister of Italy, France and Germany to the Libyan capital in recent days.

Western leaders view Libya’s new United Nations-backed government as a key partner in countering various militant groups behind numerous bloody attacks in the oil-rich country.

The Libyan government, however, has said it does not want foreign military assistance and calls for publication are likely to intensify concern about Europe's already heavily-criticized involvement in the North African country.

SS