About 400 Captured IS Terrorists May Escape, Flee To Europe Amid Chaos In Libya - Reports

As many as 400 militants of the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia), which are currently in custody in Tripoli and Misrata, may escape and flee to Europe amid chaos in Libya, the Italian ANSA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Ahmed Maiteeq, the deputy prime minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2019) As many as 400 militants of the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia), which are currently in custody in Tripoli and Misrata, may escape and flee to Europe amid chaos in Libya, the Italian ANSA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Ahmed Maiteeq, the deputy prime minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA).

The GNA is working with the international community to keep these terrorists in prisons, Maiteeq noted.

Separately, new flows of hundreds of thousands of migrants may reach European shores due to escalation of the conflict in Libya, the official said.

GNA head Fayez Sarraj on Monday stated that 800,000 migrants from Libya could come to Europe amid the crisis in the country.

Libya has been suffering from unrest since 2011, when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. Since then the country has been divided between two rival governments, with an elected parliament governing the country's east and the UN- and EU-backed GNA ruling the west from Tripoli.

The situation escalated on April 4, when the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and backed by the eastern government, announced an offensive against Tripoli in a bid to oust what Haftar called terrorist forces from the capital city. In response, armed forces loyal to the GNA started a military operation against the LNA.