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CIA Director William Burns makes trip to Libya

The visit was considered rare
US Turkey
Posted at 5:47 PM, Jan 12, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-12 17:48:32-05

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns traveled to Libya on Thursday to meet with the country's Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah in a tripconsidered rare.

The two met in the capital Triploi along with other senior military and political leaders, al-Monitor reported.

A photo of Burns and Dbeibah was released by the Libya Review.

The visit by Burns is considered to be the most senior visit for a U.S. official to Libya since President Joe Biden took office as U.S. president.

Burns was scheduled to meet with the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) and discuss counterterrorism, gas and oil along with the country's relationship with Russia.

As the Associated Press reported, there was no immediate statement from Washington regarding Burns' trip to North Africa.

Libya has faced the challenges of a civil war since a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 against former ruler Moammar Gadhafi saw his ouster and death.

The country has been divided between rival governments in its east and west for years, with the backing of international entities.

In 2012, U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was killed, along with three other Americans, by Islamic militants in the northeastern costal city of Benghazi.