The White House said on Friday that Donald Trump spoke by phone on Monday to Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and discussed “ongoing counterterrorism efforts and the need to achieve peace and stability in Libya.”
“ONGOING COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS”
The call Monday comes amid a simmering conflict in the North African nation after Haftar, commander of forces loyal to Libya’s eastern government, launched a campaign to capture Tripoli where a rival UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) is headquartered.
“The recognized Field Marshal Haftar’s significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya’s oil resources, and the two discussed a shared vision for Libya’s transition to a stable, democratic political system,” the White House said in a readout of the call.
Intermittent fighting near Tripoli has left scores of people dead. The UN fears this new conflict will create another migration crisis.
Libya has remained locked in turmoil since longtime Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising in 2011. The country has since seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, to which Haftar is affiliated, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN recognition.