The US administration discourages military intervention in Libya as it cannot solve the crisis, Congressman Ted Deutch said Wednesday.
“The Administration must clarify US policy, support a ceasefire, discourage intervention by regional states, and push warring parties towards a political solution to the crisis,” said Deutch, the chairman of Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa and International Terrorism.
Terrorist groups will exploit the battles in Libya and the absence of a strong authority and re-establish in the country, he added during a discussion held by the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East subcommittee on “the risks of a protracted conflict in Libya.”
Deutch warned of the conflict in the North African nation, which borders US allies in Europe, referring to the migration crisis that erupted in 2015 due to the instability in Libya, allowing many people to cross the Mediterranean and die in transit.
Last week, Libya’s navy said it rescued 213 Europe-bound African and Arab migrants off the Mediterranean coast.
The meeting of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East subcommittee on the risks of Libya’s conflicts came after the Libyan Defense and National Security Committee of House of Representatives sent Wednesday a letter to the US Congress, urging it to support the LNA in its war against extremists.
“The LNA is the official and legitimate body of Libya’s armed forces and the only legitimate institution mandated by Libyan laws to defend the state and its citizens,” according to the letter.
The letter added that the LNA defends Libyan sovereignty through waging a war against militias and armed groups in Libya, including the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda.
