Incidents in Libya involving
criminals and terrorists who abduct for a ransom and use their
victims like human shields stress the need for a national unity
government to re-establish security and the rule of law in the
country, US Ambassador to Italy John R. Phillips told Italian
daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published Friday.
Speaking a day after reports that two Italians abducted in
Libya last July, Fausto Piano and Salvatore Failla, were killed
late Wednesday in a militia raid on an ISIS cell in western
Libya, Pillips said Italy could deploy "up to some 5,000"
soldiers in the event of military intervention in Libya.
Two other workers from the Parma-based oil-construction
firm Bonatti abducted last July, Gino Pollicardo and Filippo
Calcagno, have been freed and will soon be moved to a safe zone
and taken back to Italy, Italian intelligence sources said
Friday.
The diplomat also said Washington would not expect Italy to
be involved in air raids.
He said Washington was working closely with Italy on Libya,
where a national unity government could ask Italy and other
countries, based on a UN resolution, to intervene and contribute
to stability.
Phillips called Libya Italy's "top priority" and a very
important dossier for the US as well, adding that it was
important for Rome to take the lead in international
intervention.
He also said Washington could contribute with intelligence
and that the deployment of troops has not been discussed.
Asked whether the NATO-Italian air base at Sigonella in
Sicily could be used for operations against ISIS in Libya, the
diplomat replied that the base was one of several where Italy
and the US were cooperating.
He added that Rome is one of the best partners in Iraq in
international efforts against ISIS.
Italy currently has some 750 soldiers in Iraq, mostly
involved in training Iraqi soldiers and police in Baghdad and
the Kurdish regional capital Erbil.
Italy is also set to deploy 450 troops in Iraq, near the
front line with ISIS militants, to protect workers repairing the
Mosul hydro-electric dam.
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