NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs has banned Indians from travelling to Libya where the terror outfit Islamic State is making a strong push taking advantage of the civil war.
According to a Pentagon report, IS has 5,000 -6,500 terrorists in the country. Besides the 200-km stretch of Libya’s coast, the IS has a strong presence in Sirte and has captured territories in towns such as Nofaliy, Harawa and Ghardabiya.
The ministry said the decision to impose a ban had been notified to all immigration authorities. “In view of the prevailing security situation in Libya, security threats and challenges to the lives of Indian nationals in Libya, the government of India has decided to impose a travel ban on Indian nationals planning to travel to Libya irrespective of the purpose,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Indian embassy in Tripoli, which is operating out of a Tunisian city, has issued several advisories asking Indians to leave Libya.
The embassy last month said that the overall security situation remained fragile and was likely to further deteriorate, including in the conflict zones such as Zawia, Sirte, Derna, Ajdabia, part of Benghazi, among others.