Western – 16 November 2015

Nov 16, 2015 | International actors

The tragic Paris attacks indicate a new moment for international political action against IS, and the Libyan front is likely to figure into future coordination. The US announced its first airstrike against an IS target in Derna, claiming to have killed the top IS leader in Libya, while French media reported French sorties over Sirte although no airstrikes were conducted. The airstrike conducted by the US reportedly destroyed an IS arms cache and killed ten IS fighters at an assembly point in Al Fatieh, along with Abu Nabil, head of IS in Libya. However, a number of sources on the ground in Derna dispute these reports. The 15 November operation suffered huge losses when an IS suicide bomber outflanked the force, killing a whole unit. Nine members of IS were killed during the operation and new ground was gained in the east coast district of Derna.