President Obama: Libya aftermath 'worst mistake' of presidency

US President Barack Obama has said failing to prepare for
the aftermath of the ousting of Libyan leader Col Muammar
Gaddafi was the worst mistake of his presidency.
Mr Obama was answering a series of questions on the highs
and lows of his time in office on Fox News.
He said, however, that intervening in Libya had been "the right
thing to do".
The US and other countries carried out strikes designed to
protect civilians during the 2011 uprising.
But after the former Libyan leader was killed, Libya plunged
into chaos with militias taking over and two rival parliaments
and governments forming.
So-called Islamic State (IS) gained a foothold, and Libya
became a major departure point for migrants trying to reach
Europe.
A UN-backed national unity government arrived in the capital
Tripoli earlier this month but is waiting to take charge.
The leader of the faction ruling western Libya has threatened
to prosecute any of his ministers who co-operate with the UN-
backed administration, contradicting an earlier announcement
the ministers would stand down.
President Obama gave the brief but revealing answer
speaking to Chris Wallace:
CW: Worst mistake?
Obama: Probably failing to plan for the day after, what I think
was the right thing to do, in intervening in Libya.
It is not the first time President Obama has expressed regret
over Libya. He told the Atlantic magazine last month the
operation went as well as he had hoped, but Libya was now "a
mess".
In that interview, he also criticised France and the UK, in
particular saying British Prime Minister David Cameron
became "distracted" after the intervention.
It was a rare rebuke for a close ally and one which BBC
correspondents at the time said angered Downing Street.
President Obama told Fox that his biggest accomplishment in
office was "saving the economy from the great depression".
He said the best day of his presidency was when he passed
the healthcare reforms. The worst, he said, was responding