--- description: The pentagon announced the strikes on Monday title: U.S. Launches Airstrikes Against ISIS in Libya image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e50e46ca31fd835/6988a09c428a9e3db8cd3b87/libya-us-airstrikes.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Libya](/tag/libya/) ## Libya Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.S. Launches Airstrikes Against ISIS in Libya by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 1, 2016 4:09 PM CUT  A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya on July 31, 2016. A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya on July 31, 2016.Goran Tomasevic—Reuters by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 1, 2016 4:09 PM CUT The U.S. military began conducting [airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Libya](http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/881794/statement-by-pentagon-press-secretary-peter-cook-on-us-air-strike-in-libya "undefined") on Monday, the Pentagon announced. “Today, at the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), the United States military conducted precision air strikes against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat ISIL in its primary stronghold in Libya,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook [said in a statement](http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/881794/statement-by-pentagon-press-secretary-peter-cook-on-us-air-strike-in-libya "undefined"). The strikes were authorized by President Obama at the recommendation of Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford. The [Los Angeles _Times_ ](http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-libya-airstrikes-isis-20160801-snap-story.html "undefined")reports there are close to 6,000 ISIS fighters in Libya and the Libyan contingent is considered one of ISIS’s most powerful groups. The Pentagon says the strikes will help prevent ISIS from gaining more ground. “These actions and those we have taken previously will help deny ISIL a safe haven in Libya from which it could attack the United States and our allies,” the statement reads. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4433257/u-s-launches-airstrikes-against-isis-in-libya/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4433257/u-s-launches-airstrikes-against-isis-in-libya/"},"headline":"U.S. Launches Airstrikes Against ISIS in Libya","datePublished":"2016-08-01T16:09:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:41:30.814Z","description":"The Pentagon says the strikes will help prevent ISIS from gaining more ground","url":"https://time.com/4433257/u-s-launches-airstrikes-against-isis-in-libya/","keywords":["Libya","ISIS","World","airstrikes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e50e46ca31fd835/6988a09c428a9e3db8cd3b87/libya-us-airstrikes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e50e46ca31fd835/6988a09c428a9e3db8cd3b87/libya-us-airstrikes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte","caption":"A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya on July 31, 2016.","creditText":"Goran Tomasevic—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/libya/","name":"Libya"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4433257/u-s-launches-airstrikes-against-isis-in-libya/","name":"U.S. Launches Airstrikes Against ISIS in Libya"}}]}] ```