ALGIERS
Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said Monday that Algeria was in contact with a number of countries with a view to assessing the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)'s capabilities in Libya.
The assessment, he said, was being made with a view to undermining the militant group, which last year managed to overrun vast territories in Iraq and Syria and which has recently gained a foothold in fractious Libya.
At a press briefing with Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders in Algiers, Lamamra noted that the contacts also aimed to prevent the ISIL from seeping out of Libya into neighboring countries.
"We are concerned – like other countries – about the dangers posed by the ISIL to the security of Libya and other neighboring states," Lamamra said.
He called on the international community to support Libya so that the crisis-hit country could rebuild its army.
Earlier Monday, an Algerian security source said Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt had all decided to bolster joint security and military cooperation against the backdrop of events in Libya.
The source added that, during a meeting in Cairo on Sunday, military officials from the three countries had discussed security developments in the fractious North African country.
Military officials also exchanged information about the situation in Libya and the activities of ISIL-affiliated militant groups said to be based there.
"Egypt informed Tunisia and Algeria of the results of its recent airstrikes in Libya," the source told The Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.
He added that the political leadership in all three countries had decided to hold regular meetings at which their security and military officials might assess the Libya situation.
None of the three countries, however, has issued an official statement about the meeting.
Earlier this month, the ISIL in Libya made international headlines after releasing a video showing the execution of 21 people, including 20 Egyptian nationals.
The gruesome video triggered a violent reaction in Egypt, which hours later launched a series of airstrikes against purported ISIL targets in eastern Libya.
