Islamic State still holding out in small area of Libyan city of Sirte

In spite of a prolonged offensive started back in May and help from US bombing raids, the Islamic State continues to hold a small area of Sirte Libya, their former stronghold.

Forces from Al Bunyan Al Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) are again making advances into the small area still held by the Islamic State (IS). BAM forces have been supported by US airstrikes since August 1 in an operation called Odyssey Lightning. The operation has been extended through October. There were also airstrikes by GNA planes as well as fire from tanks.

Last Sunday alone the US carried out 20 airstrikes. Pentagon spokesperson, Captain Jeff Davis said: "Every one of the strikes we do is based on a request from them, and we are down now into the last, densest part of the city. As they get to the dense areas, it's very hard to take out these sniper positions with anything other than air strikes." Since it began its operation US warplanes, drones and helicopters have carried out more than 200 strikes. Many of the strikes are launched from the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship just off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranian.

The militants are holding out in an area called Manara. Once this area is cleared, Misrata commanders said that the IS fighters would be defeated. Mohamed Al-Ghasri a spokesperson for BAM said: “This is the end for them. They have no other solutions, so that’s why they are fighting fiercely to stay in Manara.” The IS now controls a strip that is less than a kilometer long. However, weeks ago the final push against the IS was announced. The Sirte offensive so far has killed more than 450 BAM fighters and wounded about 2,500 more.

Somewhat surprisingly, a senior military officer from Misrata was critical of the US airstrikes claiming their aim is to prolong the offensive against the IS in the city. Spokesperson for Misrata Military Council Brigadier Ibrahim Bait Al-Mal said on TV: “The airstrikes were useless and inaccurate and their aim is clear to all, We can go without the US airstrikes from the beginning, but the government wants an endless war with limited airstrikes.” Al-Mal said that the US could through bombing end the battle within 48 hours. While this may be true it would involve horrendous civilian casualties and destruction. The air strikes happen on the order of BAM forces apparently, who do not want a huge number of civilian casulaties. They have themselves decided for pauses in the battle after suffering heavy casualties. Without the airstrikes and the help of a few special forces on the ground from the UK and the US, casualties would probably be much higher and the offensive less advanced. A more common complaint of those on the ground is that the bombings did not come sooner and some have expressed thanks for the support of the bombings and the special forces. Al-Mal provides no evidence that the strikes prolong the offensive. Pointing out that the US could end the offensive sooner does not show that the actual bombing prolonged the offensive.

U.S. extends bombing missions in LIbya for another 30 days

Since August 1st, the United States has been carrying out Operation Odyssey Lightning a bombing mission in Libya in support of the offensive against the Islamic State (IS) in Sirte by the forces of the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM).

BAM forces are mainly from Misrata and are loyal to the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). The operation has been successful in helping the BAM forces defeat the remnants of the IS who remain in Sirte. Very little of Sirte is left to be cleared and the battle should be over within days. In spite of this, President Obama has extended the mission for another entire month, two defense officials told Fox News.

The US has launched more than one hundred missions against the Islamic State in Sirte since the operation began. An AFRICOM spokesperson, Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo, said: "U.S. precision airstrikes have enabled GNA-aligned forces to advance and take key areas of the city from the grasp of the Islamic State." On Monday alone the US Africa Command carried out five strikes against IS positions in Sirte. A recent tweet gives a more updated tally of the strikes: "#Libya : Harrier jets have conducted 124 missions & the Cobra attack helicopters have flown 31 missions in #Sirte."

Obama's decision will keep two U.S. warships off the coast of Libya. One, the USS Wasp, is a large amphibious assault ship said to be loaded with more than 1,000 Marines as well as Harrier jets and Cobra attack helicopters. An escort ship, the destroyer USS Carney is a guided missile destroyer. The destroyer is said to be close enough to Libya to be seen from the shore.

One defense official said he expected U.S. airstrikes to end soon as BAM forces now had control of 90 percent of Sirte. Neither the White House nor the Pentagon have yet officially announced the extension of the mission. It is not clear what the U.S. could bomb after Sirte has been cleared of IS fighters. However, IS units may appear inother areas of Libya. The BAM forces have been helped by small numbers of special forces on the ground from the U.K. and the U.S. Why 1,000 marines remain stationed off shore is not explained. AFRICOM would not speculate as to how long the campaign might continue.

The bombing was initiated at the request of the UN-backed Government of National Accord. Last week, PM of the GNA, Faiez Serraj, went to AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart and had talks with Gen. Thomas Waldhauser on counter-terrorism operations. He expressed a "desire for U.S. assistance with future enhanced military capabilities and defense capacity building."

Obama claims that attacks on ISIS in Sirte are in US best interests

On Monday the U.S. launched air strikes against the remaining Islamic State (IS) positions in the center of their last stronghold in Libya Sirte. Obama said Tuesday that the attacks were in the U.S. national security interests.

The attacks are intended to support the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) forces against the Islamic State. The forces, Al-Bunyan Al Marsoos (Solid Structure or BAM) are composed mainly of brigades from the city of Misrata. The IS has been encircled in an area of about 5 square miles in the center of Sirte. Progress has been quite slow recently after earlier rapid advances. IS is putting up fierce resistance with suicide vehicle attacks, snipers and IEDs. Obama said that the strikes were undertaken to ensure that the Libyan forces would be able to finish defeating the IS in Sirte and increase stability in Libya. It is not clear how the attacks will increase stability since the split between the two rival governments remains even when the IS is defeated.

The bombing attacks open up a third front against the Islamic State. However, the US, UK, and France among others have already deployed special forces in Libya. Recently three French agents were killed in a helicopter crash as they were on a surveillance mission in aid of Khalifa Haftar, the commander in chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA) associated with the rvial government to the GNA of PM Abdullah Al-Thinni of the House of Representatives (HoR). Haftar's forces were clashing with those of the Defend Benghazi Brigades (DBB). Subsequent attacks on the DBB killed a number of DBB forces. There were numerous protests in the west of Libya, and the GNA decried the French ambassador in protest of France's deployment of forces in Libya without permission from the GNA. No doubt they had the permission of the HoR and Haftar.

The US is intending to use manned aircraft and drones to attack the remaining IS positions but will not commit any significant ground troops beyond the few special forces already present. Sending ground troops would likely result in a political backlash in the United States. The attacks come after a request from the UN-backed GNA government. Up until now, the GNA has been reluctant to ask for air support claiming it had the ability to defeat the IS on its own. However, with the recent revelation of the French intervention to help Haftar, the GNA may want to show that it too can get international help. The intervention may also help avoid continued heavy casualties being inflicted upon BAM forces as they engage in a final offensive against the IS. The US has attacked seven targets around Sirte during the last two days including two tanks, military and construction vehicles, a rocket launcher and an excavator according to Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis.

Earlier strikes could have reduced casualties to the BAM forces in their recent offensive and might have led to an earlier defeat of the IS. Intervening now has perhaps less military and more political significance. As a recent tweet puts it: "Monday, I said US airstrikes in Sirte were more diplomatic message than militarily necessry. Misrati fighters concur "

Reactions to the bombings were mixed. Not surprisingly the HoR government condemned the bombings. They see the attacks as a violation of Libya' air space since the HoR government did not give permission for them. However, the HoR government is not officially recognized by the UN or most governments including the US. The HoR has called in the US ambassador — mimicking the GNA's notice to the French ambassador over the French intervention. Until there is agreement on the GNA by the HoR this type of reaction is understandable. In western Libya, the top religious body, the Fatwa House, claimed that the GNA request for the US air strikes was an insult to the revolutionaries fighting to defeat the IS in Sirte: “This request is an insult to the large numbers of martyrs in Sirte and an attempt to save Haftar in Benghazi on the pretext of fighting terrorism. " It is not clear how the air strikes help Haftar. The HoR has also condemned the strikes. The GNA's State Council also supported the strikes.