Alwaght- Libya has condemned the US airstrike in Sabratha in which two abducted Serbian embassy staff were killed, calling the unsanctioned bombardment a grave violation of its sovereignty.
In a statement, the internationally recognized government, based in the far east of the country, denounced the raid targeting an alleged ISIS training camp in Sabratha, saying it was not coordinated with the authorities and was "a clear and flagrant violation of sovereignty of the Libyan state".
“The government strongly condemns the airstrikes carried out by the US Air Force at certain positions in the town of Sabratha on Friday morning, February 19, 2016, without any coordination or consultation with the interim Libyan government,” the statement added.
The interim government said that it values the foreign assistance it receives in the war on terror, but added that “any military or political interference into Libyan affairs should be performed in a legal way through parliament and the newly formed government.”
In the statement, the government also said it “places the responsibility for the worsening of the domestic economic and social situation, as well as the security situation that contributed to the spread of these organizations (Islamic State) in our country, on the international community.”
The Friday airstrike carried out by the US in western Libya reportedly killed more than 40 people and was hailed as a major success by the Pentagon.
However, two Serbian hostages – embassy communications chief Sladjana Stankovic and her driver Jovica Stepic – also died in the bombardment, which came just as ransom negotiations had gotten underway with the kidnappers.
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that Belgrade “demanded explanations from the US about whether they knew that foreigners were present at the site. They said they didn’t.”
Stankovic and Stepic were abducted in the northwestern coastal city of Sabratha on November 8, 2015, when their car was hijacked by gunmen after becoming separated from a convoy carrying Serbia’s ambassador to Libya.
Oil-rich Libya has had rival administrations since the summer of 2014.
The internationally recognized government fled Tripoli after a militia alliance overran the capital in August that year. The alliance has established its own administration and parliament called the General National Congress.
The United Nations is pushing both sides to back a unity government to tackle terrorists and people-smugglers.