The U.S. military is "prepared to support" a train-and-equip mission to fight the thousands of Islamic State militants in Libya when the Libyan government is ready for it, the head of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said Tuesday.
AFRICOM commander General David Rodriguez added that Libya's internal politics have made it unclear which armed groups are fighting alongside the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), leaving the U.S. "really dependent" on the Libyan interim government to determine "who is with them and who is moving over to them."
Libya is under a U.N. arms embargo, imposed to keep lethal weapons away from terrorists and militias vying for power.
However, a joint communique issued after international talks Monday in Vienna signaled that international powers, including the U.S., are set to provide arms and support to the Libyan government to fight Islamic State.