US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said airstrikes targeting ISIS fighters in Libya in September knocked out nearly one-third of the group’s fighters, but US officials aren’t sweating over a massive ISIS resurgence in the country.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday while traveling to Seoul, South Korea, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said there was nothing that “pops up as necessarily unusual” about ISIS’ presence in Libya or the spate of airstrikes that rained down on the terrorist group in September.
Esper said the issue “is a focus of our attention and operations.” He was responding to a question from a reporter regarding four airstrikes that struck ISIS fighters in southern Libya in September and whether the Pentagon was concerned about a resurgence of the Islamic extremist group.
“We continue — the phrase that people use is “continue to mow the lawn,” Esper said. “And that means, every now and then, you have to do these things to stay on top of it so that a threat doesn’t grow, doesn’t resurge.” He told Military Times website.
Between September 20-30, US air assets conducted four airstrikes killing 43 ISIS fighters with about 100 still remaining, according to a senior US defense official, who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity in October.
According to a historical chronology of the operation, obtained by Military Times through a government records request, the 5-inch gun aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Carney lobbed nearly 285 rounds during the operation to help wrest Sirte from ISIS’ grasp.
The 22nd MEU flew 600 close-air support and strike missions, dropped 290 bombs, fired 164 Hellfire missiles, destroyed 25 pieces of enemy equipment and 197 defensive positions, and killed hundreds of enemy fighters in support of the Libya operation, the chronology detailed.
The operation was described in the chronology as “one of the largest counterterrorism campaigns to be conducted from amphibious shipping.”
That document also noted it was the first time that naval gunfire was coordinated from the arms coordination center in support of combat operations during the war on terrorism.
