Haftar to Renzi: We need weapons to fight extremists before they target Italy

Libyan General Khalifa Haftar asked Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to “convince the international community to lift an embargo on weapons and to help us fight for a Libya that is free from extremists”.

“We are also fighting for you and, if we were to fail, the next target of terrorists would be Italy,” Haftar, who was assigned by the government of Tobruk, told ANSA.

“We are proud people, we can also fight this war with bare hands, but Qatar, Turkey and Sudan are helping the extremists with weapons and funding, although we are sure they are being moved by other foreign powers,” he continued.

“It is important to know that, once this page is turned, we will remember very well who was close to us and who instead looked the other way,” he said.

“Libya is a country rich of resources and, based on what will happen and on who will support the democratically-elected government, we will decide with whom we will be sharing this wealth,” stressed Haftar.