Italian special forces operating in Libya

ROME (ANSA) — Institutional sources have recently revealed to the Italian media that Italian Special Forces are operating in Libya, confirming a report that appeared in the daily Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The sources said that a few dozen Special Forces soldiers are in the cities of Benghazi, Misrata and Tripoli on a mission to train government army forces. The sources said they were operating under the direct command of the premier’s office.

Parliament in November 2015 passed a measure giving the premier the authority to mandate Special Forces foreign missions, under the intelligence chain of command.