NATO ready to advise Libya on security, eyes more drones
ROME
NATO's chief said Thursday the alliance was ready to advise Libya's government on defense and security issues, saying the deteriorating situation in the country is posing new security threats for Europe that require a more robust defense.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also told a news conference in Rome that the alliance plans to bolster its surveillance of the region by using drones based at the air station in Sigonella, Sicily, starting next year.
NATO enforced a U.N. mandate to protect civilians and enforced no-fly zone and arms embargo on Libya during the 2011 ouster of Moammar Gadhafi's regime. The mission ended in October 2011, and the security situation has since spiraled out of control with two separate governments and multiple armed groups, including some affiliated with the Islamic State group.
Stoltenberg has said there should have been more international presence in Libya after the military operation ended, and pledged Thursday that NATO was available to help.
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