Is Paris Conducting Covert Anti-Daesh Operations in Libya?

France is conducting covert operations against Daesh in Libya, local media reported Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The French newspaper Le Monde reported, citing its own sources, that French President Francois Hollande was drawing on special forces in the Libyan operations.

The newspaper added that the French external intelligence agency, the General Directorate for External Security (DGSE), was also involved in the covert operations in the northern African nation.

According to the outlet, the aim of the operation is not to win the war in the country but to curb Daesh activities in Libya.

Libya has been in a state of turmoil since the 2011 Arab Spring movement, which later led to a civil war and the overthrow of the country’s leader Muammar Gaddafi by Western-supported Islamic extremists.

The instability also led to the rise of numerous Islamic militant and terrorist groups, particularly Daesh, outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States, which has been carrying out attacks on Libya’s oil infrastructure.