In Libya, defeating ISIS one recoilless rifle at a time

Published August 4, 2016 5:11pm ET



The Pentagon on Monday revealed an expansion of the U.S. air campaign against the Islamic State into Libya with great fanfare, touting the ability of U.S. air power to enable the Libyan government-backed forces “to make a decisive, strategic advance” against the Islamic State stronghold in Sirte, on the Libyan coast.

But a blow-by-blow accounting of airstrikes released by the U.S. Africa Command — showing a total of just nine as of Wednesday — revealed the relatively modest scope of the effort, which so far has taken out a couple of tanks, some heavy construction equipment, two vehicles, a single rocket launcher and a pick-up truck with a recoilless rifle mounted on it.

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