By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 16 January 2015:
In response to the photos of machine gun-wielding extremists allegedly ordering Tripoli shop owners to . . .[restrict]stop selling make-up and women’s lingerie posted by a group claiming connections to the Islamic State (IS) circulating on social media last week, the Libyan government has again called on the international community for assistance in rooting out terrorist elements inside Libya’s borders.
The government stressed that what is currently happening in Tripoli is an offense to the Libyan people, “who are known to be religious moderates”.
“The Libyan people renounce terrorism and extremism. They do not want to see a repeat of what has happened in Derna, which is now beyond the State’s control,” the government said in a statement on Friday.
The government went on to call on the international community to “do its duty and help” the Libyan government by lifting the ban on providing weapons to the national army and providing technical training to the military.
“With the proper training and weapons, the government will be able to fulfill its duty to fight terrorism and establish security inside Libya, the region and the world,” the statement said.
Reiterating previous statements, the government renewed its support of efforts by United Nations Special Envoy Bernadino Leon to facilitate a national dialogue, saying that dialogue was the only way out of the current conflict and calling on all parties to “sit at the dialogue table” to work out a plan for peace. [/restrict]
