Libya's neighbours to meet on ending IS crisis

Libya’s neighbouring states are set to meet this March in an attempt to quell activities of Islamic State (IS) militants in the region.

Foreign Affairs ministers from Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Niger and Chad will on March 21 and 22 meet in Tunisia to examine and address the evolution of the crisis and ways of ending it.

The chaos in Libya, five years after the uprising that led to the ouster and killing of longtime autocrat Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, has paved way for IS affiliates to take control of several cities.

They have taken advantage of the power split between two major factions, the internationally recognized government of the Council of Deputies and the militia led rival Islamist government of the new General National Congress based in the capital Tripoli, led by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Libyan officials confirmed some 200 jihadists had taken over the security headquarters in the western city of Sabratha, killing and beheading 12 security officers before being driven out.

Tunisia, which shares almost 500 kilometers of its border with Libya has been concerned about the evolution of the crisis in the country after claiming perpetrators involved in the Bardo and Sousse attacks were trained in Libya.

The Pentagon stated earlier that an airstrike last week on an IS training camp might have averted an attack on Tunisian soil by the group.

Fighter-bombers on Friday struck the training camp in rural Libya near the Tunisian border, killing at least 49 people, U.S. and local officials confirmed.