Pentagon: Airstrikes hit Daesh positions in Libya
The Pentagon claims that US military aircraft has struck Daesh positions in the Takfiri group’s former stronghold in Sirte, Libya.
The US aircraft pounded Daesh targets over the weekend, as the US' so-called air campaign entered its third month, the Pentagon said Monday.
The aircraft conducted 20 airstrikes on Sunday alone, hitting mostly “enemy fighting positions,” according to the US military's Africa Command.
Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said that all US air raids are done upon requests by UN-supported Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), while the GNA has repeatedly denounced the presence of the foreign forces, saying it violates Libya’s sovereignty.
"Every one of the strikes we do is based on a request from them, and we are down now into the last, densest part of the city," Davis said.
"As they get to the dense areas, it's very hard to take out these sniper positions with anything other than air strikes."
Following the 2011 overthrow and death of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been the scene of chaos and violence.
Daesh took advantage of the turmoil in the country, taking over a strip of coastal land, including Sirte, in June 2015.
The GNA forces started a large-scale military operation in May to purge Daesh from Sirte. Bombings and sniper fire, however, have hindered their progress in retaking the town.
The United States has deployed attack helicopters, fighter jets and Special Operation forces to Libya to allegedly help local forces fighting Daesh terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan back in 2012 to fight against the Syrian government.
The US has also been conducting airstrikes in other countries, including Syria and Iraq, allegedly to target Daesh militants; however, civilians and the countries’ infrastructures have borne the brunt of deadly attacks.
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