US says Libya close to eliminating ISIS from Sirte
US-backed Libyan forces are close to vanquishing ISIS from its last holdouts in the city of Sirte, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday.
Carter said forces aligned with Libya's UN-backed government, who have been aided by US air strikes since the beginning of August, had cornered ISIS in one small section of the city.
"I expect that they'll eliminate ... remaining opposition shortly," Carter told a news conference in London.
Libyan forces said on Saturday they had advanced against some of ISIS's last holdouts in the city. The jihadist group had exploited Libya's deep political divisions to seize Sirte more than a year ago, using it as a base for Libyan and foreign fighters. Losing the city would compound the setbacks it has suffered in Syria and Iraq.
