6 December 2016, 22:05 GMT
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States will support Libyan’s unity government throughout its fight against forces of the Daesh based in the country, President Barack Obama’s special envoy for the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, said Tuesday.
"We will continue to support the Government of National Accord as it pursues Daesh throughout the country," McGurk told reporters.
Daesh gained a foothold in Libya in the turmoil following the 2011 ouster of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.
To date, the US-led coalition has carried out some 500 airstrikes to aid the Libyan government’s campaign to clear the port city of Sirte and surrounding areas of IS terrorists, McGurk said. He added that Sirte is no longer accessible to Daesh.
On December 6, the US Navy announced that the amphibious transport vessel San Antonio had ended its participation in the anti-Daesh campaign.
The Islamic State, also known as Daesh in Arabic, is outlawed in the United States, Russia and other countries.
