US air strikes intensify Western focus on Libya

THE Pentagon confirmed on Monday that US forces have conducted air strikes against so-called Islamic State (IS) militants in the Libyan coastal city of Sirte. The action may be the first move in a sustained international offensive against IS outside of Iraq and Syria.

The US strikes were conducted after a request from the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which has been engaged in battles with IS in Sirte since May. While the attack is not the first time that US warplanes have bombed IS in the country (a training camp in Sabratha was attacked in February), Monday's move could prove more significant in that it signifies a deepening of US and wider Western commitment to buttressing the Libyan administration - militarily, politically, and economically.

At a time when the GNA is trying to restore order in the country, there are growing international concerns that IS may be establishing a stronghold there. US intelligence estimates, for example, indicate the number of IS fighters in Libya has probably doubled to between 4,000 and 6,000 in the last 12-18 months, with growing evidence that a significant number of these terrorists are travelling from Iraq and Syria where, because of offensive operations from the 66-member coalition forces, IS fighters are believed to be at the lowest levels for at least two years.