Libyan PM Calls for Int'l Help as Daesh Will Use 'Any Means' to Attack Europe

The Libyan prime minister called for international help in the fight against Daesh and warned that terrorists would use "any means" to reach Europe.

ROME (Sputnik) — Faiez Mustafa Serraj, the chairman of the Libyan Presidency Council and prime minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), urged the international community to assist the country in the fight against the Daesh terrorist organization.

"Our Libya needs international assistance in the fight against IS [Daesh]," Serraj said in an interview with the Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera published on Tuesday.

According to him, Daesh is a treacherous and dangerous enemy not only for Libya, but also for Italy, Europe and the whole world.

"[Daesh] will use any means to send their fighters to Italy and Europe" Serraj said, adding that he did not rule out that terrorists might be among the migrants, who were coming to the European shores of the Mediterranean.

Speaking about the decision made by Libya's Government of National Accord to ask the United States for help in the fight against Daesh near the city of Sirte, the prime minister stressed that it was done "in order to prevent further casualties among civilians and our soldiers."

On August 1, the United States began a new aerial campaign against Daesh at the request of and in coordination with the GNA.

Daesh, outlawed in Russia and many countries around the world, gained a presence in Libya in the turmoil following the 2011 overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi. Libya has been mired in a civil war since 2014.