bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

The Washington Post

US Special Operations forces are providing direct, on-the-ground support for the first time to fighters battling the Islamic State in Libya, US and Libyan officials said, coordinating American air strikes and providing intelligence information in an effort to oust the group from a militant stronghold.
The positioning of a small number of elite US personnel in the coastal city of Sirte deepens the involvement of Western nations against the Islamic State’s most powerful affiliate.
US and other world powers support arming new Libyan government to fight Islamic State
US officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a mission that has not been announced publicly, said that US troops are working out of a joint operations centre on the city’s outskirts and that their role is limited to supporting forces loyal to the country’s fragile unity government.
Robyn Mack, a spokeswoman for US Africa Command (AFRICOM), said small numbers of US military personnel will continue to go in and out of Libya to exchange information with local forces but declined to provide details.

An expanded on-the-ground role for Western nations follows US President Barack Obama’s administration’s decision earlier this month to begin regular air strikes on Islamic State positions in Sirte, the group’s de facto capital in North Africa. Since the strikes began about a week ago, US planes have struck almost 30 militant targets.
The increased US air campaign against the Islamic State in Libya underscores the stakes in a battle against a group that has vowed to strike the West and has attracted recruits from across Africa and the Middle East. Since they appeared in Libya in 2014, fighters allied with the Islamic State have displayed tactics similar to their parent group in Syria and Iraq: beheading non-Muslims, attacking local security forces and facilities associated with Westerners, and forcing locals to abide by their harsh interpretation of Islam.

The new American operation in Sirte is the culmination of an extended, low-visibility mission in Libya by US special operators, who established small outposts in recent months as part of an effort to build ties with friendly forces and increase American understanding of the complexities of political and militia factions. Previously, US troops were focused on holding talks with an array of militia factions to identify potential partners and gathering information about the situation on the ground, including the threat from the Islamic State.

The limited nature and size of US operations around Sirte reflect the delicate balancing act the Obama administration must achieve as it seeks to help allied local forces succeed while not undermining the country’s fragile “unity government”.
Even in recent days, Libyan militia commanders have declared that there were no Western boots on the ground and that this was their fight alone. The pro-government forces in Sirte are mostly militia fighters from the city of Misurata, about 150 miles by road to the northwest.
Mattia Toaldo, a Libya expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said: “As long as they keep this low profile ... the risks both for the US and for the Libyan government are quite low.”

On Monday, US fighter jets could be heard zipping over Sirte, and there were loud explosions inside militant areas. According to AFRICOM, those strikes hit multiple fighting positions and a truck.
At least five pro-government fighters were killed and dozens more were injured in heavy fighting in the al-Dollar neighbourhood this week. The wounded included several top frontline commanders, Libyan militia sources said. US officials said that American forces are not taking part in combat or even directly acting as spotters for airstrikes, and that no Americans have been wounded.
US launches first airstrikes against Islamic State in Libya, as local fighters battle for Sirte
Also this week, US and British personnel, carrying radios and wearing black body armour and tan fatigues, were seen within Sirte, according to officers allied with the Libyan government and Western security personnel in the area.
Libyan militia officials say the arrival of the Americans and the British near the frontline is in preparation for a significant push into Islamic State territory.


US special forces ‘boots on ground’ confirmed in Libya for the first time

Libyan militants allied with the UN-backed government battle IS fighters in Sirte. Photo: Reuters

A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya, July 31, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

Fighters of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government fire a rocket at Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya, August 4, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

epa05457544 A framegrab taken from a handout video made available by the US Department of Defense (DoD) on 06 August 2016 shows the US military conducting precision air strikes, at the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL or IS) targets in Sirte, Libya, 01 August 2016, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat the jihadist militant group in its primary stronghold in the country. In frame is visible the first strike which successfully disabled a T-72 tank (C). EPA/USA DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE -- BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE -- HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government take cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya, July 15, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

News

World

Middle East