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US strikes culled ISIS-Libya encampments, unlikely to return to pre-2016 levels, defense official says
"culled" I like that(Army Times) A series of four airstrikes in recent weeks against Libya’s Islamic State franchise killed roughly one-third of the militant group’s personnel, giving much needed breathing room as the country’s two main factions wrangle for control in Tripoli. The strikes killed an estimated 43 ISIS fighters, with roughly 100 still remaining, according to a senior U.S. defense official, who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity. "We assess that was a pretty significant degradation of their capabilities and, again, they struggle to reconstitute because of the nature of the operatives who were killed in this strike and the fact that they have already been struggling with manpower," the official said in a telephone interview Thursday. "We certainly don’t assess that they’re expanding," the official added. Posted by: Whavimp Grath4899 2019-10-15 |
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