By Hadi Fornaji.
Tunis, 25 August 2016:
Faiez Serraj, head of the Presidency Council has had talks in Germany with the head of the US Africa Command (Africom) and Washington’s Special Envoy to Libya Jonathan Winer on US support in the fight against the so-called Islamic State (IS) and terrorism generally.
The talks with General Thomas D. Waldhauser and Winer at Africom’s headquarters in Stuttgart focussed on the current American action against IS in Sirte as requested by Serraj and the Presidency Council but also looked into Libya’s military needs after the anticipated liberation of the town.
In a statement, the Presidency Council explained that it was looking to American support in developing Libyan defensive capabilities, on military training and information exchange. It said that the US also expressed its full support for the Presidency Council and the Government of National Accord.
Serraj was accompanied by his chief political adviser, Taher El-Sonni, and the head of the Temporary Security Committee (TSC) Abdulrahman Al-Tawil.
Waldhauser, appointed head of Africom just over a month ago, has taken a more dynamic approach to dealing with IS in Libya than his predecessor and has ordered the use of stronger fire power against it. Africom is now relying on the far more deadly AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters to hit at IS positions.
