The US military has begun bombing targets around the Libyan city of Sirte, which is controlled by militias associated with Islamic State. The embattled official government said the intervention was made at its request and caused ‘major casualties’.
“The presidency council, as the general army commander, has made a request for direct US support to carry out specific airstrikes,” Fayez Serraj, the head of the Libyan presidency council said in a televised statement, broadcast on Monday afternoon. “The first strikes started today in positions in Sirte, causing major casualties.”
Serraj added that there would not be a foreign-led operation on the ground, though US officials told local media sources that the US is preparing to take a greater role in the war-torn country, and said that the Pentagon was preparing for a long-term campaign.
