British parliament warns IS could enter Europe through Libya

The House of Commons of the British Parliament warned on Tuesday that the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group could take advantage of the chaos in Libya to smuggle terrorists into Europe as would-be refugees fleeing the Arab country.

The Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee underlined that IS was carrying out operations aimed at ensuring its presence in North Africa, filling a regional power vacuum left when the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya was overthrown in 2011, Efe news agency reported.

"Illegal migration from Libya is a major concern, because of a potential security threat from terrorists who could use this means to travel to Europe to conduct attacks," explained MPs from the Committee of Foreign Affairs.

The committee stressed that prolonged, embedded violence in a country like Libya, so close to Europe, raised concerns in areas such as security.

The Foreign Affairs Committee said there was a "particular responsibility" on Britain to help Libya "repair itself" and restore a stable government.

According to the committee, the fact that the jihadi organisation appears to have taken advantage of the chaos in Libya to establish itself there is a security concern that extends beyond Libya, and is further motivation for the international community to provide assistance.

Libya has been suffering from chaos and civil war since 2011, after the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime.