"They are in Sirte, their territory extends 250 kilometers) along the coast, but they are starting to penetrate the interior and to be tempted by access to oil wells and reserves," Le Drian told RTL radio.
World powers are trying to convince Libya's warring factions to lay down their weapons and fall behind a new national unity government, as ISIL-allied groups exploit the political chaos to take hold of parts of the country.
French planes carried out surveillance flights over Libya last week.
Libya has slipped into chaos since the fall of Moammar Gaddafi in 2011 which ISIL has exploited. The UN believes 2,000 to 3,000 fighters are operating there, including 1,500 in the coastal city of Sirte.
Libya has had rival administrations since August 2014, when an extremist backed militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the government to take refuge in the east.
AFP
almanar.com.lb
14/12/15
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Le groupe État islamique progresse "vers l'intérieur" de la Libye...
ReplyDeleteJusqu'ici implanté sur les côtes libyennes, le groupe État islamique progresse "vers l'intérieur" de la Libye, s'est inquiété, lundi, le ministre français de la Défense, Jean-Yves Le Drian.
L'organisation de l'État islamique (EI) avance "vers l'intérieur" des terres libyennes, s'est inquiété, lundi 14 décembre, le ministre français de la Défense. S'exprimant à la radio RTL, Jean-Yves Le Drian a ajouté que les jihadistes, déjà implantés sur la côtes, avaient pour but l'accès à des puits de pétrole.
"Ils sont à Syrte. Ils étendent leur territoire sur 250 kilomètres linéaires de côte, mais ils commencent à pénétrer vers l'intérieur et à avoir [une] tentation d'accès à des puits de pétrole et des réserves de pétrole", a-t-il affirmé à RTL.
L'EI compte 2 000 à 3 000 combattants en Libye, dont 1 500 à Syrte, la ville natale du défunt dictateur Mouammar Kadhafi à 450 km à l'est de Tripoli. Parmi eux figurent des nationaux partis combattre en Syrie et de retour dans leur pays, mais aussi des étrangers venus notamment de Tunisie, du Soudan ou du Yemen, selon une estimation de l'ONU...............http://www.france24.com/fr/20151214-libye-etat-islamique-jihadiste-progresse-petrole-le-drian-rtl
Libya's Rival Parliament Chiefs Reject Peace Deal ...
ReplyDeleteMembers of Libya's rival governments had been expected to sign a peal deal Wednesday, but officials said the ceremony would be pushed back to Thursday, while the heads of the two parliaments expressed disapproval of the agreement altogether.
Parliament leaders Aguila Saleh and Nuri Abu Sahmain met for the first time Tuesday since the two sides set up competing bodies in Tripoli and Tobruk. Each made comments stressing the need for a Libyan solution without outside pressure.
The U.N.-brokered pact came out of multiple rounds of negotiations between the rival governments in an attempt end the instability that has marked Libya since the 2011 ouster of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.
The agreement calls for a new unity government within 40 days with members from both the internationally recognized government in Tobruk and the Islamist-backed body in Tripoli.............http://www.voanews.com/content/libya-rival-parliament-chiefs-reject-peace-deal/3105081.html