The final push to defeat the IS was organized as long ago as August 8. However five days ago according to one report, BAM was supposed to be fighting the last bastion held by the IS. The group has kept up a determined resistance using snipers, mines and suicide attacks with vehicles exacting a heavy toll on BAM fighters who are mostly members of brigades from Misrata.
The U.S. Defence Secretary, Ash Carter, predicted that the IS was on the verge of defeat and would be eliminated shortly. Carter was speaking at the Blavatnik School of Government, of Oxford University. Carter noted that not that many months ago, many were predicting the Libya could become the new headquarters for the Islamic State. Ash said: ” But our airstrikes, in support of local forces aligned with the GNA, have reduced ISIL’s presence in Sirte to a single neighbourhood”. The airstrikes only began on August 1, long after the offensive had captured most of the extensive area that the IS state occupied and BAM forces had already entered Sirte. Some towns in the east were captured by members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard. Carter also fails to mention the small groups of special forces from the UK and US and perhaps elsewhere who also helped out the BAM fighters.
Nevertheless, Carter emphasized that the assault had to be led by locals: “It’s not something we can do by ourselves. We have to enable local forces to do it. That has its frustrations, for sure. But it is necessary in order to achieve a defeat of ISIL that is lasting.” One of the main reasons that the US cannot do it by themselves is that this would involve considerable numbers of boots on the grounds and heavy casualties such as those now being inflicted on BAM fighters. At the end of August, the Pentagon announced it was extending air strikes for another 30 days.
The US Africa Command reports that between September 2 and September 6 it carried out 18 new airstrikes. Since Operation Odyssey Lightning began on August 1, there have now been 128 airstrikes in all. While the airstrikes certainly help, the IS appear ready to fight to the very end. A tweet claims: “”Soldier newly returned frm #Sirte – ‘Big battles still ahead. Snipers & suicide bombers r a big problem causing lots of casualties. #Libya.”” Nevertheless, the complete liberation of Sirte could very well happen within the next few days.
