Libya's besieged UN-backed government has launched a full-fledged effort to get the Donald Trump administration to abandon strongman Khalifa Hifter and press US Arab allies to do the same.

Last week, Washington-based Prime Policy Group registered as a foreign agent for Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq with the goal of introducing him to Congress and the administration so he can brief them on the status of the civil war “and his government's interest in peace and unity government, which is US policy.” The new registration comes a week after the Government of National Accord signed a $2 million contract with Mercury Public Affairs.

The lobbying push follows President Donald Trump's April 19 comments during a call with Hifter that seemed to green-light his offensive on Tripoli, a reversal of previous US insistence that there was “no military solution” to the Libyan conflict.

“It does appear that they’re embarking on a fairly substantial effort,” said Andrew Miller, a National Security Council director during the Barack Obama administration. “Ideally what they would want is a fresh statement from Trump clarifying the policy.”