US bombers strike IS camps in Libya

Two US B-2 bombers conducted strikes on Islamic State targets in Libya overnight, destroying two camps near the Libyan city of Sirte, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

In a statement, Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said the IS militants targeted in the strikes included individuals who fled to the remote desert camps from Sirte to reorganise, and they posed a security threat to Libya, the region and US national interests.

"While we are still evaluating the results of the strikes, the initial assessment indicates they were successful," Cook said.

"This action was authorised by the president as an extension of the successful operation the US military conducted last year to support Libyan forces in freeing Sirte from IS."

A defence official told US media that drones also participated in the strikes and that "several dozen" IS fighters were thought to have been killed.

--IANS

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