THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The warning came in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph as Muammar Gaddafi's loyalist forces stepped up a fightback on three fronts.
Libya could be in danger of falling into the hands of Islamic extremists if a stable government is not rapidly established, the Nato secretary-general has warned.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Islamic extremists would “try to exploit” any weaknesses as the country tried to rebuild after four decades of Col Muammar Gaddafi’s rule.
Mahmoud Jibril, the interim Libyan prime minister, arrived in Tripoli only at the end of last week after complaints that he had been too busy travelling the world to lead his own revolution.
Asked if Nato was worried that a delay in setting up a fully fledged replacement government increased the risk of extremists taking control, Mr Rasmussen said: “We cannot exclude the possibility that extremists will try to exploit a situation and take advantage of a power vacuum.”
While he said Nato was not actively targeting Gaddafi, Mr Rasmussen admitted things could “move very fast” if he was removed. “I think that he still inspires resistance in some pockets of Gaddafi loyalists.” » | Thomas Harding, Ruth Sherlock in Bani Walid and Richard Spencer in Tripoli | Monday, September 12, 2011
