Libya's political split undermines fight against IS

he political division in Libya still poses an obstacle to the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group despite signing a UN-sponsored peace agreement and the appointment of a unity government.
The UN-backed Libyan unity government called in a statement Thursday on its military forces to suspend any military operation against the IS-dominated city of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli.
“The Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord, as the highest commanding authority, calls on all Libyan military forces to wait for the orders of the Supreme leader to appoint a joint military operation leadership in Sirte,” the statement said.
The statement comes as the eastern forces of Major General Khalifa Haftar prepares to launch an offensive against the IS in Sirte.
On the other hand, head of the House of Representatives (parliament) Agila Saleh on Friday condemned claiming the position of the Higher Commander of the Libyan Armed Forces.
“We strongly condemn the statement of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord on April 28, in which it claims the position of the Higher Commander of the Army. We consider this to be division and adds more systematic violations to the political agreement.”