Serbia: 2 hostages believed killed in US airstrikes in Libya

“It is officially confirmed that the two embassy staff were killed in air raids”, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told a news briefing in Belgrade.

“It wasn’t in the interests of the people who held them to kill them, because there were no other demands but financial”, Dacic said. But the United States and allies have been studying possible increased military action against the militant group in Libya.

He said there are many inconsistencies regarding the whole case, including the fact that Serbia kept its embassy open in Tripoli, which is controlled by the rebel forces and an unrecognised government.

Libya descended into chaos after the October 2011 ouster and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with two governments vying for power and armed groups battling to control its vast energy resources. Libya has become a major way station for migrants heading for Europe. Zubia’s office represents one of Libya’s two rival governments. “They had gathered at the house to hear a speech from one of their Tunisian imams”. In July, airstrikes targeted an al-Qaida gathering and officials said they targeted bel-Mokhtar but it was a failed operation in the eastern city of Ajdabiya.

Local authorities were described finding weapons including grenade launchers in the rubble, The Washington Post reports.

Other images showed unidentified men apparently injured in the attack receiving medical treatment.

The airstrike was consistent with domestic and worldwide law, and Libyan government officials were advised of the attack ahead of time, he noted. The witness said he saw a hospital list that noted victims were from Tunisia and Algeria as well as Libya.

There were no immediate details on the reported airstrikes, including which nation carried them out.

And he was also thought to been responsible for an attack at a Tunis museum that killed 21 tourists in March 2015. Although Serbia was initially unsure who had kidnapped the communications officer and her driver, the convoy was attacked near the city of Sabratha, where an IS training base was located. The attack was aimed at ISIS terrorists. Tunisia is a popular destination for European sun-seekers.

The Pentagon would not confirm the toll, but said as many as 60 militants were spotted using the facility during weeks of surveillance ahead of the strike, and that a top Daesh operative, Noureddine Chouchane, was “likely” killed.

But with less than a year left in office, Obama is loath to get embroiled in a broader conflict in Libya – for instance by sending large deployments of troops into the country.

The two Serbians were allegedly being held by the Islamic State at a militant training camp in northern Libya that was bombed by American warplanes.

ISIS has taken advantage of the missing security to establish a foothold in Libya, taking control of the city of Sirte and threatening to expand from there. It also has been a transit point for Tunisians and North African jihadists before joining Islamic State affiliates elsewhere in Libya. The two countries have been steadfast arms traders for years.

While the United States continues its military campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, officials have begun to focus on the group’s Libya presence in recent months.

Cook thanked Britain for offering its airbases to launch the attack, but declined to say which bases the United States had used.

“When we see opportunities or the need to take this kind of action, we will be prepared to do so”, Cook said.

The Obama administration has been considering doing more, unilaterally or in coordination with European allies.