ROME: Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar asked Europe for helicopters and drones to fight rampant migration on the southern border of the war-wracked country.
The request came after the commander, who backs a Tobruk-based administration that controls much of the east and south of Libya, traveled to Rome and Paris to bolster his stature as a key player in international efforts to stabilize the country.
“When it comes to controlling the southern border, my forces can supply the personnel but you Europeans must send help: drones, helicopters, night vision and vehicles,” Haftar said in an interview published on Friday in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Former colonial power Italy has been the strongest backer among Western allies for the UN-recognized Government of National Unity, which is based in Tripoli and sees Haftar as an arch foe.
The unity government has struggled to establish its authority beyond the capital in a country scarred by conflict since the 2011 overthrow of late dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
Amid the chaos, Libya has become a launchpad for hundreds of thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe and a base for militants aligned with Daesh.
“I have presented a plan based on the principle that Libya is not the arrival point but only a corridor for migrants who want to get to Europe,” Haftar said in the interview.
Of the UN arms embargo imposed on Libya since 2011, Haftar said “all European countries interested in stopping migration should revoke it.:
He also said that Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti had “already accepted a training program for our soldiers in Italy.”
But Pinotti told a parliamentary committee on Thursday that Italy did not take sides in the dispute between the rival governments.
“We want a united and peaceful Libya and we are ready to work with all those who intend to intend to work peacefully for the unity of the country,” she said.
Haftar also said force must remain an option for imposing order in the country, though he added that a political solution would be preferable.
“It’s obvious that we prefer the political routes, but when these don’t work there must be other solutions,” Haftar added in the media interview.
“We are defeating terrorism in Libya not through diplomatic channels, but with weapons.”
Haftar’s comments came as UN envoy Ghassan Salame made a renewed push to get rival factions to sign up to a plan to stabilize Libya and take the country toward presidential and parliamentary elections.
Haftar also criticized Italian efforts to convert armed groups on the Western coast into anti-smuggling police.
“It’s a big mistake. The Italian government should not be led astray by the militias... Tomorrow they will fight among themselves for a share of the spoils; it will be a never-ending blackmail,” Haftar said.
Some international media have reported that the leader of one such group, the Anas Al-Dabbashi brigade, had received €5 million directly from Italy’s secret services to stop the migrant boats.
Italy has denied making any direct payments to armed groups.


There has been a sharp reduction in migrant departures since the brigade, known previously as one of the country’s biggest people smuggling gangs, clamped down on trafficking in July in exchange for promises of legitimacy and state security jobs from the GNA.
Almost two weeks ago, fighting broke out in Sabratha between the Dabbashi brigade and its allies and rival cross-town factions.