David Cameron is preparing to take on "one of the biggest threats" to international security, by ordering officials to undertake "initial planning" for a new military intervention against Islamic State in Libya, reports say.
"Islamic State is one of the biggest threats our world has faced," the PM said yesterday. "We will only defeat these brutal terrorists if we take action at home, overseas and online and if we unite with countries around the world against this common enemy."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We should be working and are working with other partners to help the new Libyan government as it gets formed. So that's helping with advice and support and capacity building in their government departments," he said.
"The problem in Libya has been they haven't had a government that has been able to deliver, and that should be our focus. That is why, for instance, we tried helping with training military personnel, so we should go on doing all of these things."
Baroness Anelay, the foreign office minister, said the government is currently "investigating possible links between Islamic State in Libya and the recent terrorist attacks in Tunisia. We are working with Libya's neighbours to enhance their capacity to tackle the threat," she said.
The UK may try to combat IS in Libya by training local troops within the country to combat IS fighters and helping Libyan authorities to plan and organise their security operations, the Daily Telegraph reports, but "air strikes are not believed to form part of the initial Libya planning."
A foreign office spokesman told the paper that the "immediate priority" was to support a "ceasefire and a stable political settlement" in the country.
-
‘Extraordinary asymmetry’: the history of Israeli prisoner swapsIn The Spotlight Exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees is the latest in a series of trades in which Israeli lives appear to count for more
-
October 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include peace in Palestine, government playoffs, and barking up Pam Bondi's tree
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
