US Deploys Attack Helicopters to Strike ISIS in Libya

Between Friday and Sunday, U.S. airstrikes destroyed 25 enemy fighting positions and two supply trucks, according to a statement from U.S. Africa Command.

The Pentagon has said USA involvement in the Sirte operation would last “weeks not months”, but Falvo did not want to speculate on how much longer the United States would continue its air campaign.

SuperCobra gunships are based on the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship in the Mediterranean. The Cobras can loiter overhead to provide precise fire support for close-quarters urban warfare.

Meanwhile, the USA has also supplied military support to the Libyan forces since earlier this month, and has also carried out 65 air strikes over Sirte as of Thursday. Most were launched by unmanned aircraft and Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers that are now deployed aboard the Wasp with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The valuables are believed to have been looted from local homes, especially from residences of wealthy people who fled when Isil captured the town in May a year ago. Libya’s parliament, however, gave GNA a vote of “no confidence” Monday, Military Times reported.

As of Monday, the United States had conducted 77 air strikes in the city.

Local reports suggest ISIS has lost control over most of the city during the past several weeks of fighting.

The Daesh outlawed in the United States, Russia and many other countries, gained a foothold in Libya in the turmoil following the 2011 overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi.