DAILY BEAST
NANCY A. YOUSSEF 2/17/16
The terror group is gaining ground in Libya. But the Obama administration has said no to a Pentagon plan to go after ISIS there.
Despite
the growing threat from the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Libya, the
Obama administration has turned down a U.S. military plan an assault on ISIS’ regional hub there, three defense officials told The Daily Beast.
In
recent weeks, the U.S. military—led by its Africa and Special
Operations Commands— have pushed for more airstrikes and the deployment
of elite troops, particularly in the city of Sirte. The hometown of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s, the city now under ISIS control and serving as a regional epicenter for the terror group.
The
airstrikes would target ISIS resources while a small band of Special
Operations Forces would train Libyans to eventually be members of a
national army, the officials said.
Weeks ago, defense officials told the New York Times
that they were crafting military plans for such strikes, but needed
more time to develop intelligence so that they could launch a sustained
air campaign on ISIS in Sirte.
But those plans have since been put on the back burner.
“There is little to no appetite for that in this administration,” one defense official explained.
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