UN Mission in Libya Crucial to Prevent ISIL Expansion - Italian Minister

ROME, (Sputnik) – The United Nations should immediately send a peacekeeping mission to Libya amid deteriorating security and the exodus of migrants due to Islamic State (IS) expansion in the country, Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Monday.

The minister’s comment to La Repubblica comes a day after Italy closed down its embassy in Libya citing security concerns. The recent IS advances in the country, separated from Italy by a narrow sea passage, have prompted thousands of North African migrants to rush to the Italian coast.

"We must not lose a minute, we have to send a UN mission to Libya, the international community must understand that it is crucial for the future of the West," Alfano said.

Alfano’s call echoes Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who said Sunday that a UN mission was urgently needed in Libya. Muscat pointed out that although there were no imminent threats to Malta, instability in Libya posed a threat to the entire Mediterranean region because of the influx of undocumented migrants.

In early February, Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for several attacks on Libyan territory. In recent weeks, the extremists reportedly took over a Libyan state-run television station in Sirte, as well as two radio stations.

On Sunday, the radical Sunni group posted a footage depicting the brutal beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians who had been abducted earlier in Sirte.