U.S. Africa Command (Africom) launched a Thursday airstrike against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), near al-Uwaynat town, killing 11 terrorists.
In a Friday statement, the U.S. military declared that the strike near al-Uwaynat, located at Libyan’s southwestern desert, destroyed three vehicles, adding that “no civilians were injured or killed.”
Exploiting the lack of security in Libya’s southern region since the ousting of Muammer Gaddafi in 2011, some jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS) have taken havens in the southern region.
This is the third time Africom’s has launched an air strike since March on the militant group’s North African branch, which operates across Algeria, Mali, Niger and Libya.
The latest Africom’s airstrike was carried out in June 50 miles southeast of Bani Walid town, located in Libya’s southwest, killing one terrorist.
On March 24, Africom conducted its first air strike against extremists in the Ubari area of southern Libyan.
“In coordination with the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), U.S. forces conducted a precision airstrike near Ubari, Libya, on March 24, killing two al-Qa’ida terrorists, including Musa Abu Dawud, a high ranking al-Qa’ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM),” Africom said.
Ubari is at the intersection of the powerful criminal and jihadist currents that have spread across Libya in recent years.
In Libya’s southern borders with Niger, Chad and Algeria, smuggling of weapons, drugs and illegal migrants through the lawless, vast deserts of southern Libya went rampant.
