UK may take military action in Libya if requested

The United Kingdom has raised the possibility of using military force in Libya to help legitimate Libyan authorities bring the security situation in the country under control.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Sunday that he could not rule out sending troops to Libya if requested by Libya’s government.

“It wouldn’t make sense to rule anything out because you never know how things are going to evolve,” Hammond told The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

Hammond added that the UK would consider military airstrikes and naval support for a Libyan-led attack on Daesh in Sirte, and that the future use of ground troops cannot be ruled out.

Daesh took control of Libya’s northern port city of Sirte in June 2015, making it the first city to be governed by the Takfiri militant group outside of Iraq and Syria.

News outlets have reported that the special forces unit of the British Army, the SAS, is already operating in Libya, while it has also been suggested that up to 1,000 British troops could be sent to help train a new army.

The refusal by the British government to rule out military action in Libya is reportedly meant to promote the unity government formed for the country and led by Fayez Seraj, its prime minister.

Libya plunged into a political and security vacuum after militias backed by NATO forces toppled long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

SS