Sirtre has been a major battleground between Daesh and forces under Libya’s recently established Government of National Accord, commonly referred to as the GNA.
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The United States on Monday launched fresh airstrikes against the Islamic State militant group in Libya to support the UN-backed regime for as long as it requested, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed at a press briefing. This marked the third round of U.S strikes in Libya since the month of November.
Aside from Iraq and Syria, ISIS’ presence in Libya “is probably the most developed and the most risky”, CIA Director John Brennan recently told Congress. The U.S. military is now fighting ISIS not only in Libya, Iraq and Syria but also in Afghanistan.
Later on, individual strikes will be determined with the GNA and also will be in need of the approval of the commander of United States forces in Africa, he added.
The official said precision strikes would target key IS military infrastructure such as tanks, high-caliber weapons and command and control nodes.
These strikes, Cook said, will help Libyan government forces build on some of the success they have already had in recapturing territory from ISIS around Sirte.
US airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Libya continued for a second day Tuesday, as President Barack Obama called the new bombing campaign critical to protecting USA national security interests.
Unlike those earlier airstrikes, when it sought to kill people it believed to be IS leaders, the U.S. has now lent military support to a coordinated effort with local forces.
Davis said a small number of US forces are in Libya working out of an air operations center to help assess and validate targeting information that the Libyans are giving to the Americans.
He said the airstrikes would be limited to Sirte and its surroundings.
Two weeks ago, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Islamic State jihadists in Libya are facing the “distinct possibility” of defeat in their last stronghold.
Around a thousand IS militants are thought to remain in Sirte.
The USA’s decision to extend the Inherent Resolve coalition mission into Libya was at the request of the Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who released a televised statement supporting the US involvement in the Sirte campaign.
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On July 18 Dunford said he was he was encouraged by developments against the Islamic State in Libya, noting it has been severely weakened.
