Across the political spectrum, ISIS is the topic of the moment in Italy, with ruling officials talking up the risk of an ISIS “invasion” of Rome, and opposition figures imagine the refugee outflow from Libya is part of an ISIS plot to distract the Italian Navy.
Security officials have put 4,800 Italian troops on the streets nationwide, saying they need to ratchet up security in case ISIS invades from across the Mediterranean Sea.
At the same time, Italian officials say some 5,000 ground troops are being mobilized for a possible unilateral invasion of Libya. They’re pushing for the UN to lead such a war, but there doesn’t seem to be much appetite from the rest of the West for yet another war in Libya.
The 5,000 figure represents the number of troops Italy has available and ready for a deployment abroad, though most believe it is far too small for an actual invasion of Libya, and will likely keep Italy calling for other people to launch the war instead of actually doing it themselves.
