Egypt’s army on Tuesday announced the release of 13 Egyptians kidnapped in eastern Libya, which has been plagued by chaos and security problems since 2011.

Army spokesman Colonel Tamer al-Rifai said in a statement the 13 “were abducted by an armed criminal group in the Ajdabiya region”.

The statement said their liberation had been made possible by “coordination with the general command of the Libyan army”, without elaborating.

The Libyan National Army is loyal to Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman in eastern Libya and a rival of Fayez al-Sarraj, leader of the Tripoli-based and internationally recognized national unity government.

Source: AFP