Two Kidnapped Serbian Diplomats Killed During US Airstrikes in Libya

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Two Serbian diplomats were killed during US airstrikes in the northwestern Libyan town of Sabratha, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Saturday.

The US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS), which is prohibited in numerous countries including the United States and Russia, conducted airstrikes in Libya against a terrorist training camp and Tunisian IS leader Noureddine Chouchane after establishing he was planning attacks in the region, US Defense Department spokesperson Peter Cook said in a briefing on Friday.

"Unfortunately, as a result of the attack on the Islamic State position in Libya, two of them lost their lives," France Presse cited Dacic as saying at a press conference.

Dacic stated that the identification of victims would be carried out shortly. They are likely to have been kidnapped on November 28, 2015.

Washington has been considering the possibility of expanding its anti-IS campaign into Libya amid the terrorist group’s rise in the country. So far, the United States, however, has ruled out sending ground troops to Libya and has pushed for the formation of a unity government.

The US-led coalition against the Islamic State, which is prohibited in numerous countries including the United States and Russia, conducted airstrikes in Libya against a terrorist training camp and Tunisian IS leader Noureddine Chouchane after establishing he was planning attacks in the region, US Defense Department spokesperson Peter Cook said in a briefing on Friday.