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In Libya, ISIS Is "Fighting to the Death" Despite U.S. Bombardment
(Military Times) Andrew Tilghman - The U.S. is continuing military strikes against Islamic State targets inside Libya, where militants are fiercely clinging to a small patch of territory along the Mediterranean Sea, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Monday. After more than three months and 367 airstrikes, about 200 ISIS fighters continue to control a neighborhood in the city of Sirte. The Islamic State's ability to hold ground highlights the challenge faced by the U.S. and its allies and raises concerns about the far larger operation against ISIS in Iraq, where the U.S. military provides airstrikes and special operations troops on the ground. Nonetheless, earlier this year, U.S. intelligence officials estimated Libya had as many as 6,000 fighters loyal to the Islamic State.