"We have to remember that the NATO operation for Libya was an operation with a clear UN mandate. It was about protecting civilians against attacks from the regime and we did that," Stoltenerg told reporters. "I think the challenge has been what happened afterwards. There should have been more follow up, more presence of the international community, but that’s not only a NATO responsibility."
In 2011, an armed uprising against long-standing leader Muammar Gaddafi led to a civil war. As a result of fears of human rights violations being committed by Gaddafi's troops, the UNSC passed a resolution imposing a no-fly zone over the country, imposed an arms embargo and authorized all necessary means except a "foreign occupation force."
At present, two de-facto governments are operating in the Libya as it faces its worst wave of violence since the beginning of the 2011 civil war. On Sunday, the Islamic State, which operates in the country, executed 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians, which led Egypt to conduct airstrikes against targets in Libya.
