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Some fighters were killed but others are believed to have fled south into the desert and are thought to be regrouping, taking advantage of the chaos that has afflicted Libya since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

While Tramadol is popular in North Africa, the drug of choice for Isil fighters in Syria and Iraq is the amphetamine Captagon.

The drug is renowned for suppressing fear, hunger and pain and giving an energy boost to exhausted fighters.

The terrorists who killed 130 people in the Paris attacks of November 2015 were believed to have been on Captagon or a similar substance.

Before the Syrian civil war, Captagon was apopular recreational drug in the Middle East, selling for up to $20 a pill.

A Syrian police officer in Homs, in western Syria, told Reuters he had seen the effects of Captagon on anti-government protesters.

We would beat them, and they wouldnt feel the pain, he said.

Many of them would laugh while we were dealing them heavy blows.

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Italy seizes huge drugs haul intended for Isil fighters in Libya - Telegraph.co.uk

ALGIERS Libya's neighbors and the United Nations on Monday voiced their support for a meeting held last week between the North African country's main rival figures, the head of the U.N.-backed government, Fayez Seraj, and eastern commander Khalifa Haftar.

The two men had held talks in Abu Dhabi, their first in more than a year and a half, over a U.N.-mediated deal that Western powers hope will end the factional fighting that has dominated Libya since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya's neighbors and regional powers have often differed on how to advance, with Egypt closer to Haftar and his anti-Islamist militant campaign and Algeria pushing for an inclusive approach including using the influence of Tunisia's moderate Islamist movement.

As part of diplomatic efforts by Libya's neighbors, Algeria on Monday hosted a meeting with the U.N. envoy to Libya and ministers from Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Niger and Chad, as well as representatives of the U.N-backed government.

The Abu Dhabi meeting is seen as a step forward, although many hurdles remain to reaching a new broad agreement to stabilize Libya, including divisions within each faction between hardliners and moderates more open to negotiations.

"The ministers welcomed the meeting held in Abu Dhabi...as part of efforts undertaken by Libyan actors to support the process of political settlement," the meeting attendees said in a joint statement.

"The meeting between Prime Minister Seraj and Marshall Haftar is a positive sign," U.N. envoy Martin Kobler said in separate comments in the Algiers meeting.

Seraj's U.N.-backed government has struggled to extend its authority and even in Tripoli faces resistance from armed groups and former government leaders trying to regain power.

Haftar is the dominant figure for factions in eastern Libya that have so far rejected Seraj's government. Rival armed factions in the west of the country, mostly in the powerful port city of Misrata, have backed Seraj's government.

Details of the Abu Dhabi meeting have yet to emerge. But one major disagreement has been the U.N. deal giving Seraj's leadership control over military appointments, which eastern factions fear will weaken Haftar's Libyan National Army.

Attempts to stabilize Libya have been complicated by the myriad of brigades of former rebels who back rival political factions, often with ties to regional powers such as United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Qatar. Russia is also becoming involved.

(Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; editing by Patrick Markey)

CAIRO The Egyptian air force destroyed a group of vehicles that crossed into Egypt from Libya loaded with smuggled weapons, the military said on Monday.

TUNIS Protests over jobs and development in southern and central Tunisia have halted production at or shut the fields of two foreign energy companies in a new challenge to the country's Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.

TRIPOLI/ROME More than 200 migrants are feared to have died in the Mediterranean over the weekend, according to testimony from survivors, and several bodies, including that of an infant, have washed up on a Libyan beach.

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Libya's neighbors, UN voice support for its new move for talks - Reuters

UNITED NATIONS The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor expressed alarm on Monday at the inhumane detention of thousands of vulnerable migrants in Libya and said she was examining whether an investigation could be opened into crimes against them.

Libya is the main gateway for migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea. The United Nations migration agency said more than 1,000 migrants have been reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean this year, while an unknown number perish in the desert.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 20,000 migrants are held by criminal gangs in irregular detention centers in Libya and growing numbers of migrants are traded in what they call slave markets before being held for ransom, forced labor or sexual exploitation.

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the United Nations Security Council that her office was collecting and analyzing information "related to serious and widespread crimes allegedly committed against migrants attempting to transit through Libya."

"I take this opportunity before the council to declare that my office is carefully examining the feasibility of opening an investigation into migrant-related crimes in Libya should the court's jurisdictional requirements be met," Bensouda said.

The United Nations Security Council asked the court in 2011 to investigate crimes committed since the start of an uprising the same year that led to the fall of leader Muammar Gaddafi. The oil-producing North African state slipped into turmoil and been riven by factional strife since then.

The International Criminal Court, which opened in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the U.N. Security Council.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Grant McCool)

ALGIERS Libya's neighbors and the United Nations on Monday voiced their support for a meeting held last week between the North African country's main rival figures, the head of the U.N.-backed government, Fayez Seraj, and eastern commander Khalifa Haftar.

TUNIS Protests over jobs and development in southern and central Tunisia have halted production at or shut the fields of two foreign energy companies in a new challenge to the country's Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.

TRIPOLI/ROME More than 200 migrants are feared to have died in the Mediterranean over the weekend, according to testimony from survivors, and several bodies, including that of an infant, have washed up on a Libyan beach.

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ICC prosecutor mulls inquiry on crimes against migrants in Libya - Reuters

Libyas oil production highest since October 2014

Libya is pumping the most oil since October 2014 as the OPEC member restores output amid progress in mending the nations political divisions. The increase adds pressure on the worlds biggest producers who just signaled they may extend production cuts as oil slumps, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

According to Bloomberg, Libyas production has reached about 780,000 barrels a day, according to a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be identified for lack of authorization to speak to the media. Libya was producing about 700,000 barrels a day at the end of April, Jadalla Alaokali, a board member at state producer the National Oil Corp., said then.

A revival in Libyan output adds to the challenge that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other major producers face after agreeing last year to pump less crude to stem a glut and shore up prices. In separate statements just hours apart on Monday, Saudi Arabia and Russia said publicly for the first time they would consider prolonging their output reductions for longer than the six-month extension OPEC is widely expected to agree to when the group meets on May 25. Libya was exempted from OPECs cuts because of its internal strife, added Bloomberg.

Political divisions, clashes between armed groups and closures of fields have disrupted output in Libya as the country with Africas largest crude reserves struggles to revive its most vital industry, it also indicated.

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Libya's oil production highest since October 2014 - Libyan Express

The continuing rise in abductions at the hands of militias highlights how the absence of the rule of law in Libya is fuelling chaos and lawlessness and leaving civilians in the country living in fear, said Amnesty International today. Kidnappings of civilians by militias, often for ransom, have risen sharply since 2014, particularly in the west of the country, where hundreds have gone missing and abductions have become a feature of daily life.

Among the latest victims to go missing is Tripoli University professor Dr. Salem Mohamed Beitelmal, who was abducted over two weeks ago not far from his home in the area of Siyyad on the outskirts of Tripoli. His whereabouts remain unknown and his family have had no contact with him since his abduction.

The case of Salem Beitelmal illustrates the constant dangers posed to civilians by militias who have continued to intimidate the population, instilling fear and dread through a ruthless campaign of abductions. It also highlights the complicity of political and state officials who have thus far failed to put a halt to this lucrative practice by militias, said Heba Morayef, North Africa Research Director at Amnesty International.

The authorities must take all measures to end the cycle of violence and fear civilians in Libya are living under today, by effectively investigating such crimes and bringing those suspected of responsibility to justice.

The case of Salem Beitelmal illustrates the constant dangers posed to civilians by militias who have continued to intimidate the population, instilling fear and dread through a ruthless campaign of abductions

Dr. Salem, a professor with the Department of Maritime Engineering at Tripoli University, went missing while he was on his way to work on 20 April 2017. At around 10 oclock that morning neighbours found his car abandoned on a street not far from his home. All efforts by the family to identify his whereabouts so far have failed.

Siyyad, the area where the abduction took place, is controlled by several militias. Some operate nominally under the authority of the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction and it remains unclear which militia is holding him.

Fears are also growing for Dr. Salems health as he suffers from a pre-existing health condition and requires continued medication.

Libyan activists and journalists alike have identified abductions as one of the most harrowing realities of daily life in Libya today. According to media reports citing the Tripoli Criminal Investigations department of the Ministry of Interior there were at least 293 abductions between 15 December 2016 and 31 January 2017. Many families choose not to report cases of abductions for fear of reprisals and as a result many incidents go undocumented.

Most abductions are carried out with the aim of extracting as high a ransom as possible from the families, or in some cases to negotiate an exchange of detainees. Abductions are also used as a tactic by militias to silence opponents, journalists, and human rights defenders who are critical of them. Individuals have been targeted based on their perceived political or tribal affiliations or their occupation or apparent wealth, in order to extract sensitive information or hefty ransom sums.

Rival armed groups and militias in Libya have been carrying out gross human rights abuses with near total impunity. Even those operating under the UN-backed government affiliated to the Ministry of Defence or under nominal control of the Ministry of the Interior are not subjected to any effective supervision or control by the central authorities.

Its time to stamp out the pervasive culture of impunity which has emboldened perpetrators of these crimes so far

"The epidemic of abductions highlights the lack of effective control by any faction claiming legitimacy on the ground, said Heba Morayef.

Restoring the rule of law must be an absolute priority. This includes authorities ensuring that those suspected to be responsible for abductions, enforced disappearances and other crimes under international law are prosecuted in fair proceedings and finally brought to justice. Its time to stamp out the pervasive culture of impunity which has emboldened perpetrators of these crimes so far.

Amnesty International calls on Libyas Government of National Accord to carry out a full investigation into all abductions of civilians in Libya to ensure the quick and safe return of hostages, including Dr. Salem Beitelmal.

The international community must no longer ignore the issue of abductions in its talks with different militias and political actors. Turning a blind eye to these abhorrent crimes will only fuel the cycle of impunity, said Heba Morayef.

Amnesty International is also calling on the political actors in Libya to help bring abuses to an end by cutting off financial support for militias responsible for criminal activity.

Amnesty International continues to call on the International Criminal Court, which has committed to prioritizing ongoing abuses by armed groups in its investigations, to examine crimes committed by all sides since 2011. So far, there have not been any meaningful investigations into crimes allegedly perpetrated by armed groups affiliated with successive governments in Libya. The international community also has a key role in terms of providing support for the ICC investigation and ensuring the return of the rule of law to Libya.

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Libya: University professor latest in string of victims targeted in ... - Amnesty International