US air strike kills 2 jihadist ‘leaders’ in southern Libya
TRIPOLI: A US air strike hit a house in southern Libya on Saturday where jihadist “leaders” were meeting, killing two of them, the spokesman of the Libyan prime minister said.
Spokesman Mohamed El Sallak, in a statement on his Twitter account, said the strike was “coordinated” with the UN-backed Government of National Accord ( GNA) of Prime Minister Fayez al- Sarraj.
The raid targeted “a meeting of terrorist leaders” in a house in the Ubari region, 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, said Sallak.
He later told AFP he was not immediately able to identify the jihadists targeted in the air strike. The United State has carried out frequent raids on the Islamic State group in southern Libya.
Libya has been gripped by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with rival administrations and multiple militias vying for control of the oilrich country.
Jihadists and people-traffickers have taken advantage of the chaos to gain a foothold in the North African country.
IS seized Kadhafi’s hometown of Sirte in June 2015 but were driven out of the coastal town in December the following year by pro- GNA forces with US air cover.
The jihadists are still active, however, in central and southern Libya. — AFP