U.S. B-2 stealth bombers and drones carried out attacks against two Islamic State military camps in Libya Wednesday night, killing more than 80 ISIS fighters who escaped from the city of Sirte last fall, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Thursday.
The strikes used satellite-guided bombs, and targeted locations about 25 miles southwest of the city on Libya’s northern coast. Some Islamic State fighters fled to that location after Sirte was liberated from the terrorist group’s control late last year by Libyan government forces, with the help of U.S. airstrikes, in an operation dubbed “Odyssey Lightning.”
The batwing B-2 bombers flew from their home base at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and returned to the U.S. after the airstrikes, which were authorized by President Obama in one of his last acts in office.
A defense official said the airstrikes targeted so-called “squirters” who had managed to get away during the fall of the former Islamic State stronghold. The official added that no women or children were present and they don’t believe any civilians were killed. “The militants were seen immediately beforehand carrying weapons, wearing tactical vests, carrying mortars, and standing in formation,” the official said, speaking on background.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the strikes were carried out in cooperation with the Libyan government and destroyed two ISIS camps.
“The ISIL terrorists targeted included individuals who fled to the remote desert camps from Sirte in order to reorganize, and they posed a security threat to Libya, the region, and U.S. national interests,” Cook said in a statement. “While we are still evaluating the results of the strikes, the initial assessment indicates they were successful.”
