U.S. Begins Strikes Targeting Islamic State in Sirte
The Middle East Daily, Foreign Policy
The U.S. military has begun bombing Islamic State-occupied Sirte, Libya, in support of pro-government militias trying to retake the city. The strikes were authorized in response to a request from Government of National Accord Prime Minister Fayez Serraj, who in a television address told Libyans that the role of the foreign intervention would remain small. The United States has previously conducted airstrikes against specific Islamic State targets in Libya and it has been reported that some U.S. and European troops were building ties with local fighters, but the operations announced by the U.S. Department of Defense yesterday mark the first sustained U.S. intervention against the Islamic State’s Libyan affiliate in coordination with local ground forces. After the start of U.S. strikes yesterday, pro-government fighters were able to advance to the city’s central neighborhood, Al-Dollar.
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