NEW YORK
The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to maintain an arms embargo on Libya despite requests from the country's Tobruk-backed government and Egypt for it to be dropped.
The unanimously adopted resolution expressed "grave concern" Friday at the growing presence of Daesh in Libya and reaffirmed the need to counter the threat.
Backed by Egypt, Libya's internationally-recognized Tobruk-based government had urged the UN Security Council last month to lift an arms embargo so that its forces could "combat terrorism" in the North African country.
In a bid to protect civilians, the Security Council had imposed the arms embargo on the country at the onset of the 2011 uprising that led to the ouster of Muammar Qaddafi.
The resolution also extended the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, also known as UNSMIL, until Sept. 15.
The mission was established in 2011 following six months of uprising that toppled Gaddafi.
The country has seen growing instability since that year, with an armed conflict having yielded two rival seats of government, each with its own institutions, in Tripoli and Tobruk.
The constant fighting and political crisis also paved the way for extremist movements such as Daesh to gain a foothold in the country.
