US Africa Command on Monday ended its support for the Libyan Government of National Accord after conducting 495 airstrikes in an effort to drive ISIS from the city of Sirte. Operation Odyssey Lightning began on Aug. 1 as ISIS took over the seaside city. US aircraft, mainly US Marine Corps jets on the USS Wasp and remotely piloted aircraft, flew regular airstrikes as Libyan troops moved from neighborhood to neighborhood to clear the city. While the official operation has concluded, US Africa Command said in a statement it will still work with the Libyan government to counter the “evolving threat” of ISIS in the country. AFRICOM’s announcement came one day after the Libyan government officially said ISIS was expelled from Sirte, though officials warned the fighting was not completely over in the country.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.