Leader of Libyan National Army, Marshal Khalifa Haftar revealed that Libya enjoys more security and stability during the current period if compared to the previous time, as the Libyan army managed to impose its control on over 97 percent of lands controlled by the extremist elements, including ISIS extremists.
H stressed that the Libyan people express their appreciation to the role performed by the army to liberate their lands from the grip of extremist groups. He added that the victories they achieved forced the international community to respect their role to protect the country’s security and stability and its territorial integrity.
He blamed, during an interview with “Arabs Today”, the ban imposed by the international community against the Libyan army for the delay of victory against the extremist groups. He expressed his astonishment over the international position from Libya during the current critical period, saying that they work to rally the different countries to fight against ISIS in Syrian, while leave the Libyans fight alone against the same extremist group.
He expressed his aspiration that the UN Security Council to lift the ban imposed on the Libyan army to be able to develop its arsenal with weapons and equipment. He praised the role performed by the Egyptian army to pressure the international community to lift the ban imposed on the Libyan army, saying that Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi always demands the international community to lift the ban to allow Libyans cleanse their territories from the extremist elements.
He added, “Such a position is not strange from the Egyptian government which is keen to support security and stability in Libya since the first moment. It works seriously to bridge the gap of difference between the different Libyan parties through the meetings it hosts on its land to reach a compromise to pave the way for launching political dialogue.”
He said that there are no fears over the infiltration of extremist elements to Egypt during the coming period, saying that the Egyptian military forces took serious measures on its borders to prevent any attempts from the extremist militants to enter the country. He stressed that the Libyan army also performs a major role to secure the borders from the Libyan side.
He strongly criticized the role performed by both Qatar and Turkey, saying that when they restore their political stability, they will take strict position against both Qatar and Turkey for their increasing support for the extremist elements in the country.