US airstrike kills 17 IS militants in southwestern Libya

Tripoli: The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said it carried out an airstrike that killed the Islamic State (IS) militants in southwestern Libya, in coordination with the UN-backed government.

"In coordination with the Libyan Government of National Accord, US Africa Command conducted an airstrike targeting ISIS-Libya terrorists in southwest Libya on Sept. 26, 2019," AFRICOM said in a statement on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement assessed that 17 terrorists were killed in the airstrike, causing no civilians casualties.

"This ongoing campaign against ISIS-Libya demonstrates that US Africa Command persistently targets terrorist networks that seek to harm innocent Libyans," said AFRICOM's Director of Intelligence Heidi Berg.

"We will continue to pursue ISIS-Libya and other terrorists in the region, denying them a safe haven to coordinate and plan operations in Libya," Berg added.

AFRICOM stressed continued support for diplomatic efforts to stabilize the political situation in Libya "in order to maintain our common focus on disrupting terrorist organisations that threaten regional stability," the statement said.

AFRICOM from time to time targets terrorists in Libya, in coordination with the UN-backed government.

During the past few days, AFRICOM said it carried out airstrikes that killed a number of terrorists in southern Libya, in coordination with the UN-backed government.