File photo of an Islamic State (IS) group fighter holding an IS flag and a weapon. (Photo:Reuters)
The top US commander for Africa says the number of Islamic State (IS) group militants in Libya has doubled in the last year or so to about 6,000.
Army Gen. David Rodriguez heads US Africa Command. Rodriquez says local militias in Libya have had some success in trying to stop the IS from growing in Benghazi and are battling the group in Sabratha. But he says decisions to provide more military assistance will wait for a national government.
A UN-brokered unity government is trying to assert itself in the capitol, Tripoli, but another government based in the city of Tobruk opposes it.
Rodriguez says it will be a challenge for the IS group to become as big a threat as it is in Iraq and Syria because of Libyan fighters.
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