US strikes ISIS in Libya three times in eight days

The U.S. military has conducted three airstrikes on ISIS fighters in Libya over the course of eight days after not striking Libya for more than a year.

U.S. Africa Command (Africom) announced Friday that it conducted an airstrike Thursday targeting ISIS fighters in southwest Libya.

Seventeen alleged militants were killed, according to a news release. Africom believes no civilians were killed or injured, the release added.

{mosads}“This ongoing campaign against ISIS-Libya demonstrates that U.S. Africa Command persistently targets terrorist networks that seek to harm innocent Libyans,” Navy Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, director of intelligence for Africom, said in a statement. “We will continue to pursue ISIS-Libya and other terrorists in the region, denying them safe haven to coordinate and plan operations in Libya.”

Friday’s announcement followed a strike Tuesday near Murzuq, Libya, that Africom said killed 11 suspected ISIS fighters and no civilians.

That in turn was preceded by a Sept. 19 strike near Murzuq that Africom said killed eight alleged fighters and no civilians. 

U.S. forces conducted eight strikes in Libya in 2018, but up until Sept. 19 had not conducted any this year.

Libya has been embroiled in violence since the 2011 uprising that overthrew Moammar Gadhafi.

Chaos intensified even more this year after rebel strongman Khalifa Haftar began marching on the United Nations-backed unity government in Tripoli in April. The small number of U.S. troops that were in Libya were pulled out after Haftar launched his offensive.