TRIPOLI
A Libyan commander has refuted a French media report that soldiers from the elite US Delta Force are joining Libyan forces in their fight against Al-Qaeda militants in the southern parts of the North African country.
"The situation in the south does not require any foreign support," Col. Mohamed Abdel-Hafiz, the Commander of Sabha military zone, was quoted as saying by the official LANA news agency.
The Libyan forces and revolutionaries are capable of securing Libya's cities and borders without foreign help, he insisted.
On Saturday, the French daily Le Figaro, quoting a French military source, reported that US commandos were operating covertly in southern Libya.
According to the source, the US Delta Force had been deployed to help the fledging Libyan army fight Al-Qaeda in the remote, southern areas of Libya.
Abdel-Hafiz said the deployment of foreign forces on Libyan soil requires the approval of the government and parliament.
Libyans have struggled to restore order to their country since strongman Muammar Gaddafi's death in 2011.
The transitional government and its security forces, meanwhile, have struggled to contain the armed militias that helped overthrow Gaddafi but which held onto their weapons after the 2011 uprising.
By Ahmed al-Masri
englishnews@aa.com.tr
