Jordan pledges support for Libya in talks with General Haftar

King Abdullah II on Monday pledged Jordan’s support for efforts by Libya to confront “terrorist organizations,” in talks with Libyan army chief Khalifa Haftar.

Abdullah discussed the Libyan conflict with Haftar and ways of addressing “efforts to counter terrorism and terrorist gangs”, the palace said in a statement.

The king “stressed Jordan’s continued support for Libya in its efforts to restore security and stability in the country and confront terrorist groups that threaten its sovereignty and the unity of its people,” it said.

The meeting between Abdullah and Haftar also discussed military cooperation between Jordan and Libya, the statement added without elaborating.

In an interview with AFP in March, Haftar vowed to seize Libya’s second city Benghazi from Islamist militias he has been battling since last May and urged international support for his campaign.

Haftar said Islamist militias have flourished in the absence of public institutions in Libya, which has two rival governments and parliaments and where rival factions are fighting for its cities and oil wealth.

Jordan is already part of a U.S.-led coalition battling the militant group that has seized chunks of Syria and Iraq, and also joined a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite rebels in Yemen.

Haftar arrived late Sunday in Amman for an official visit expected to last several days, at the invitation of Jordan’s chief of staff Meshaal Mohamed al-Zaban, a military source said.

The 72-year-old Haftar was sworn in on March 9 as the new army chief of conflict-ridden Libya and promoted general, a week after his nomination by the elected parliament.

The embattled prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognized government, Abdullah al-Thani, paid a visit to Jordan in March during which he urged Arab countries to close ranks against ISIS.

The militant group has gained a foothold in Libya, feeding on the political chaos and violence that has gripped the country since the 2011 revolt that toppled veteran dictator Moammar Qaddafi.

ISIS affiliates in Libya have claimed several bombings in the North African country, including twin attacks Sunday on foreign embassies in the capital, Tripoli.