Trump Administration Strikes Libya for the First Time, 17 ISIS Fighters Reportedly Killed
The United States, now under President Donald Trump, resumes airstrikes in North Africa against the ISIS by hitting targets in Libya. The strikes reportedly killed 17 ISIS fighters and destroyed three vehicles.
The attack, reportedly carried out by unmanned aircraft, will be the first operation by the U.S. in Libya under Trump's Administration. The U.S. Africa Command, which oversaw the action, confirmed that "U.S. forces conducted six precision airstrikes in Libya against an ISIS desert camp on Friday," as quoted by CNN.
Trump approved the use of unmanned aircraft for the operation last week, officials said.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
There has been a lull in U.S. airstrikes in the region following a U.S. air campaign against ISIS conducted under the Obama administration. After the almost five-month siege from the air, the reprieve afforded by the U.S. elections and the change in administration saw small bands of ISIS fighters taking refuge again in desert areas in Libya.
The terrorist group is now believed to number at least several hundred fighters banding together in remote regions of the country, taking advantage of the security gaps caused by the Libyan civil war, according to the New York Times.
"The strikes are the logical consequence to the change of the tactics of I.S.," Col. Wolfgang Pusztai, former Austrian defense attaché to Libya, said as he noted the relative disinterest of the Libyan administration in general.
"This is to keep the pressure on them, as none of the Libyans considers the fight against I.S. as a priority," Pusztai added. The last airstrike by the U.S. against the ISIS in Libya was carried out on Jan. 19 this year, the day before Trump's inauguration.
ISIS has reportedly been eyeing Libya as their new base of operations, going as far as taking over the city of Sirte in 2015. Local militias, helped by the more than 500 airstrikes ordered by the Obama administration, were able to drive them out by the end of the year.
