USAFRICOM says Libya’s civil war could provide ‘oxygen’ to terrorist offshoots

U.S. Africa Command is concerned that Libya’s eight-year civil war could bolster terrorist groups harbored in the country and foster a breeding ground for violent extremist organizations.

Preventing that chaos is a key issue for AFRICOM Commander Gen. Stephen Townsend, who traveled to Tunis, Tunisia, with the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, to meet with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al Sarraj Aug. 26. There, the leaders discussed threats from existing violent extremist organizations in Libya, along with the need for a solution to end the civil war.

“Close cooperation is important to address the [violent extremist organizations] threat,” Townsend said in a media release.