the U.S. military said it killed 17 ISIS militants with six precision airstrikes in Libya, the first publicly announced American bombing in the country since President Donald Trump took office.
The attacks targeted a desert camp around 150 miles southeast of Sirte, a city held by ISIS until December.
"The camp was used by ISIS to move fighters in and out of the country, stockpile weapons and equipment, and to plot and conduct attacks," the U.S. military said in a statement.
The airstrikes occurred Friday but weren't announced until Sunday.
America's last known strike on Libya was Jan. 19, one day before Trump's inauguration. That attack was sanctioned by President Barack Obama. It also targeted ISIS camps southwest of Sirte and killed "several dozen" militants.
"From an American point of view, Libya is all about the soft underbelly of Mediterranean security," said Jonathan Githens-Mazer, an associate professor at Britain's University of Exeter. "When we go back and start looking at some of these recent terror plots, a lot of them seem to have had some links to Libya."
After their defeat in Sirte, ISIS militants have shifted to desert valleys and inland hills southeast of Tripoli as they seek to exploit Libya's political divisions.
The U.S. says Libya's chaotic state has proven fertile ground for plotting attacks.
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/i...mp-orders-first-airstrikes-near-sirte-n804461
The attacks targeted a desert camp around 150 miles southeast of Sirte, a city held by ISIS until December.
"The camp was used by ISIS to move fighters in and out of the country, stockpile weapons and equipment, and to plot and conduct attacks," the U.S. military said in a statement.
The airstrikes occurred Friday but weren't announced until Sunday.
America's last known strike on Libya was Jan. 19, one day before Trump's inauguration. That attack was sanctioned by President Barack Obama. It also targeted ISIS camps southwest of Sirte and killed "several dozen" militants.
"From an American point of view, Libya is all about the soft underbelly of Mediterranean security," said Jonathan Githens-Mazer, an associate professor at Britain's University of Exeter. "When we go back and start looking at some of these recent terror plots, a lot of them seem to have had some links to Libya."
After their defeat in Sirte, ISIS militants have shifted to desert valleys and inland hills southeast of Tripoli as they seek to exploit Libya's political divisions.
The U.S. says Libya's chaotic state has proven fertile ground for plotting attacks.
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/i...mp-orders-first-airstrikes-near-sirte-n804461
