U.S., other major powers ready to train, arm Libyan government

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

last updated 17 May 2016

Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States and other major nations are prepared to work together to train and arm forces from Libya's new unity government to fight the Islamic State, and will support the government's attempt to gain an exemption from a United Nations arms embargo.

The six-week-old government is "the only legitimate one in Libya," Kerry said, and "the only entity that can unify the country. It is the only way to generate the cohesion necessary to defeat" ISIS. U.S. officials have estimated that there are 6,000 ISIS militants in Libya, and Kerry said it's imperative to achieve a "delicate balance" to keep arms from going to the wrong people. Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj says this is not an "international intervention. We're talking about international assistance and training, equipping our troops and training our youth."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.