A British team has completed repair work on specialist equipment to detect and dispose of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Libya, the British Embassy has said.
“The team has been assisting the Libyan Government and the Ministry of Interior repair its specialist equipment so that it is better able to deal with a range of potentially lethal incidents including IEDs,” the embassy said in a statement.
The visit, in cooperation with the United Nations Special Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), "helped to restore the Libyan operational capability and identify future equipment needs".
From October until March, a team of British IED experts based in Misrata also assisted the Libyan Ministry of Defence with its clearance and disarmament efforts.
“Since then,” explained the embassy, “we have provided an advisor to the Libyan Government to support them as they create sustainable plans for clearance, disarmament and conventional weapons destruction in the future.”
According to the embassy, this latest visit: “is part of the United Kingdom’s enduring efforts to support the Libyan Government, at it seeks to ensure the safety of all its people.”
In conjunction with UNSMIL and the European Union, the UK will help establish a Libyan Explosive Ordinance Training School in 2013 to train local experts in this field.
(Sources: Libya Herald, Tripoli Post)
