The US have begun bombing targets around the Libyan city of Sirte, which they say is an ISIS strongold. The Pentagon have said that the action followed a request by the UN-backed government there and that this was the first strike of a new campaign that currently has “no endpoint.” Monday’s strikes, which were authorised by President Barack Obama, were in support of government forces currently fighting IS militants. RT reports: “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, and uploaded to YouTube. “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. However, US officials told local media sources that the US was preparing to take a greater role in the war-torn country, and said that the Pentagon was preparing for a long-term campaign against Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL). BREAKING: US Defense official: New airstrikes on ISIS in Sirte will last “as long as needed” to capture Sirte, “decapitate” ISIS [...]
