WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US forces carried out 10 airstrikes in support of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) and hit 19 Daesh fighting positions near the Libyan city of Sirte from September 9-11, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a press release.
"This… brings the total number of airstrikes in support of Operation Odyssey Lightning, which began Aug. 1, to 143," the release stated on Monday.
The airstrikes hit one Daesh fighting position on Friday, nine on Saturday and an additional nine of Sunday, according to the release.
AFRICOM explained the airstrikes will help deny Daesh a safe haven in Libya from which it could attack the United States and its allies.
In August, a US Defense Department spokesperson told Sputnik that the airstrikes in Libya have reduced Daesh’s capacity to attack Libyan government troops on the ground by destroying vehicle-borne explosive devices.
Daesh, a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other nations, gained a foothold in Libya in the turmoil following the 2011 ousting of the country’s long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.
