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.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.