The Libyan government today vowed to fight terrorism, in its first acknowledgement that "terrorist groups" were behind dozens of attacks against security services and Westerners.
"The nation finds itself in a confrontation with terrorist groups, and it falls upon government to mobilise its military and security forces to fight this scourge," the government said in a statement published on its website.
"There will be no place for terrorism in Libya... And Libyans must be prepared for such a battle in terms of caution, awareness and sacrifice," said the statement, which called on the international community to help "eradicate terrorism in Libyan cities".
Libyan authorities did not mention any particular group, however the cities of Benghazi, Derna and Sirte are strongholds of extremists such as the jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia, placed on the United States' terror list in January.
