Concerned by worsening situation in Libya: Russia
January 10, 2016, 6:26 am

File photo: A graffiti “I’m Libyan I’m Free” on a wall of a school in Tripoli, Libya, July 6, 2012. Libyan leader Gaddafi was killed in 2011 by rebel forces [Xinhua]

Islamic State militants have taken control the city of Sirte while launching attacks on profitable oilfields and key oil ports that have aided in financing the terrorist group.

“We reiterate the need for urgent and coordinated international efforts in order to eliminate the terror threat both in Libya and the Middle East,” the foreign ministry said noting that extremists had stepped up their activities in Libya, which “prioritises implementation of the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2259 that aims to introduce law and order within the Libyan territory, to battle terrorism effectively and to revive the country’s economy.”

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide truck bombing on a Libyan police training centre on Thursday that killed at least 65 people, in the worst such attack since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

At least 60 policemen were killed and as many as 200 others wounded in the massive blast, AP reported citing officials.

Escalation of violence in Libya continues, as two rival governments and parliaments continue to compete for dominance, making it possible for Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants to make gains in the country.

Western powers are pushing Libya’s factions to back a U.N.-brokered plan for a national unity government to join forces against Islamic State militants, but the agreement faces major resistance from several factions on the ground.

Libya’s prime minister-designate under the U.N.-backed plan, Fayez Seraj, said in Tunis on Friday that the council nominated to name a new government was committed to doing so by the agreed deadline of Jan. 17.

Libya has been in a chaotic civil war since the 2011 ousting and death of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.

TBP and Agencies