Sirte (Libya) (AFP) - US
forces carried out six "precision air strikes" against an Islamic
State camp in Libya, killing 17 people, the US Africa Command said Sunday.
The command said the air strikes
were conducted on Friday, in coordination with Libya's Government of National
Accord, hitting a desert camp 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of the city
of Sirte.
"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," it said in a statement using an
alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.
The air strikes were believed to
be the first in Libya by US forces since US President Donald Trump took office
in January.
The last known US air strikes
were carried out in early January under then-president Barack Obama, targeting
two IS camps where militants were suspected of actively planning operations in
Europe.
The US statement said 17 IS
militants were killed and three vehicles were destroyed in Friday's strikes. It
provided few other details.
"The United States will
track and hunt these terrorists, degrade their capabilities and disrupt their
planning and operations by all appropriate, lawful, and proportional means,
including precision strikes against their forces, terror training camps and
lines of communication, as well as partnering with Libyan forces to deny safe
havens for terrorists in Libya," the command said.
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