A group of American special forces soldiers were thrown out of Libya after an unannounced mission to the divided North African country went wrong.

Under circumstances which have yet to be fully explained, a group of western-looking men, wearing civilian clothes but carrying automatic rifles and other weaponry, were photographed posing with local fighters at a base west of the capital, Libya.

That picture appeared on the Facebook page of their apparent hosts, the Libyan Air Force, which is loyal to the internationally recognised government of Libya. But it also said that the men, American commandos, had been asked to leave as they did not have proper permission to be there.

Pentagon officials confirmed this account, saying the troops had arrived "with the concurrence of Libyan officials” but that they had been asked to leave again immediately.

"While in Libya, members of a local militia demanded that the US personnel depart,” one official said. “In an effort to avoid conflict, they did leave, without incident."
• Britain `moving towards military action against Isil in Libya`

The timing of the incident raised questions about the purpose of the American mission. The official said the troops were there “to foster relationships and enhance communication with their counterparts”.

But on Wednesday, representatives of the two factions in Libya’s civil war signed a power-sharing deal, though it has yet to be ratified by the two rival parliaments.
At the same time, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has been using the crisis to establish a presence, and earlier this month briefly seized control of the town of Sabratha in western Libya near the air base where the Americans landed.

That the air base exists at all is a sign of the complexity of the Libyan war. Most of the western Libyan coastal zone is controlled by the Tripoli-based parliament, which is dominated by Islamists opposed to the internationally recognised goverment, based in the east.

But the air base, which has been used by bombers targeting Tripoli forces, sits in the middle of this zone, as well as being up against Isil territory.

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has been severely embarrassed by the chaos in Libya, site of his premiership’s major military intervention. He said Britain would do "everything we can" to support a new unity government, including training troops.

However, the head of the Tripoli-based government said it still not back the deal. Nouri Abusahmein said he was in favour of an agreement, but that this one had been negotiated prematurely.

More about: