The Libya Herald reports: The United States and NATO were premature in withdrawing from Libya and suffered their own “mission accomplished” moment when the Qaddafi regime fell last year, Mahmoud Jibril [who served as interim Prime Minister of Libya] has controversially claimed.

The National Forces Alliance chief said that the decision had risked opening up a power vacuum in Libya, which could be exploited by militant Islamists and other armed groups.

“After the collapse of the regime, the immediate task of our friends was to help us rebuild the government before they withdrew from Libya,” Jibril said on Wednesday, during a visit to the United States.

“The moment the regime fell down, they felt that their mission has been accomplished. I think it was a premature decision.”