Written question asked by Rehman Chishti (Conservative) on Wednesday, 7 September 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 September 2016. It was answered by Tobias Ellwood (Conservative) on Wednesday, 14 September 2016 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Libya: Islamic State

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the international community is taking to prevent Daesh fighters in Libya fleeing into neighbouring countries.

Answer: It is vital that the international community is relentless in its efforts to ensure Daesh and its affiliates are defeated wherever they arise, including tackling those fighters who may be retreating from Libya. We are coordinating closely with Egypt and Tunisia to share expertise on border security. More broadly, the UK is playing a leading role in the Global Coalition of over 66 partners committed to defeating Daesh. The Global Coalition is committed to tackling the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters travelling to the region to join Daesh or travelling from Daesh-held territories to other countries. The Counter-Daesh Coalition Working Group on Foreign Terrorist Fighters, co-led by the Netherlands, Turkey and the United States, is working with Coalition partners to implement the obligations and recommendations in UN Security Council Resolution 2178 on 24 September 2014. This resolution requires countries to take steps to counter foreign terrorist fighters, to expand current obligations under international law, and to strengthen international measures that prevent suspected foreign terrorist fighters from travelling, disrupt financial support to foreign terrorist fighters, and further strengthen international and regional co-operation mechanisms.

Secondary information