U.S. forces launch airstrike on al-Qaida militants in Libya

TRIPOLI –The U.S. forces said an airstrike has been carried out targeting the militant group al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) southeast of the Libyan town of Bani Walid. 

In coordination with the UN-backed Libyan government, the precision airstrike took place on Wednesday about 80km southeast of Bani Walid, killing one terrorist, the Germany-based U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement late Thursday. 

"AFRICOM is still assessing the results of this strike. The purpose of the operation was to disrupt AQIM and deny freedom of action," the statement said, adding that no civilians were killed in the airstrike. 

AFRICOM also committed the U.S. to continued missions to "degrade, disrupt, and destroy terrorist organizations and support stability" in Libya, while "maintaining pressure on the terrorist network and preventing terrorists from establishing safe havens." 

Last week, AFRICOM carried out an airstrike near Bani Walid, some 180 km southeast of the capital Tripoli, killing four Islamic State terrorists, including a senior leader. In March, a similar U.S. airstrike killed two AQIM senior leaders in southern Libya, with one of them identified as Musa Abu Dawud with Algerian nationality. Enditem 
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