Longtime diplomat nominated to become Libya ambassador

President Obama on Tuesday nominated current U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Peter Bodde to become the next ambassador to Libya.

The nomination seeks to have the longtime diplomat replace Deborah Jones, the current ambassador to Libya, who filled the role after late Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed in a firefight in Benghazi in 2013.

{mosads}Before taking up the position in Nepal in 2012, Bodde worked in a key role at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and also served as ambassador to Malawi.

He has been a diplomat in various posts around the globe for more than 20 years.

The 2013 Benghazi affair has turned into a political firestorm for the Obama administration, and even more so for former Secretary of State and current White House candidate Hillary Clinton.

In recent years, the situation in Libya has only deteriorated, following the 2011 ousting and death Moammar Gadhafi.

Now, the country is embroiled in an ongoing civil war that has created an opening for Islamist militants, including the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

An American airstrike in the country last month is believed to have killed a top Tunisian extremist who was a top aide to late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.