Italy FM says Daesh has 5,000 fighters in Libya

Daesh has as many as 5,000 armed fighters in Libya, Italy’s foreign minister said yesterday.

“According to our analyses, there are today around 5,000 Daesh fighters in Libya,” Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni told the Italian Senate.

“They are concentrated particularly in the area of Sirte but from there they have the capacity to carry out dangerous incursions [into neighbouring states],” he explained.

The minister reassured the Senate there were no plans for military action in Libya.

“The government will not be dragged into a pointless adventure that would be potentially dangerous for our national security,” he said.