US airstrikes target Sirte on request of Libyan government
UN-backed Libyan government makes a direct request for US support to carry out specific airstrikes on ISIS positions in Sirte and confirms that no US ground troops will be deployed
ISIS stronghold Sirte has been under constant bombardment by government troops for weeks
The United Nations-backed Libyan government has announced that the US military has begun conducting airstrikes against ISIS at the government’s request.
Fayez Serraj, the head of the UN-brokered presidency council, said in a televised statement on Monday that American warplanes attacked the ISIS bastion of Sirte, adding that no US ground forces will be deployed.
“The presidency council, as the general army commander, has made a request for direct US support to carry out specific airstrikes,” he said. “The first strikes started today in positions in Sirte, causing major casualties.”
The strikes mark the start of a more intense American role in the fight against ISIS in Libya, as the US steps in to assist the fragile, UN-backed government there.
