Search continues for foreigners abducted in S. Libya

By Jabbour Dokan

TRIPOLI

The Libyan authorities are continuing their search for one Canadian and two Italian nationals who were abducted on Monday in the country’s south.

"Local authorities in the area are working in tandem with security agencies with a view to locating the abductees," Qomani Mohamed Saleh, mayor of Libya’s southern city of Ghat (administered by Libya’s unity government), told Anadolu Agency late Wednesday.

The abducted trio, who work for an Italian airport maintenance company, had been doing maintenance on the city’s airport.

An Italian security team is expected to arrive in Ghat on Thursday to aid ongoing search efforts by the Libyan authorities, a local security source -- who spoke anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to media -- told Anadolu Agency.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions.

Libya has been roiled by chaos since the ouster and death of strongman Muammar Gaddafi in a 2011 popular uprising.