Italy Has No Plans to Send Troops to Libya - Gov't Sources

Italian government sources refuted media claims that Rome was preparing to send troops to conflict-torn Libya, local media reported Tuesday.

ROME (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera reported, citing "the latest operational plans" that Italy was planning to sent up to 900 service personnel to Libya, to protect a number of crucial sites, including oil wells, and to train the local army.

According to the government sources, the claims about Italy's plans to send troops to Libya are "groundless," the Agenzia Giornalistica Italia (AGI) reported.

Libya has been in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a civil war began in the country and long-standing leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown. On March 31, the long-anticipated UN-backed Government of National Accord started to perform its duties in Libya.

On Monday, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that his country would not send troops to Libya unless the recently agreed national unity government asked Rome to intervene. He added that Italy would only engage in Libya as part of an initiative involving the wider international community.