Pentagon Focused On Hunting Down Islamic State Fighters Attempting To Escape Libya

The Pentagon is reportedly tracking many Islamic State militants that have escaped the fierce fighting that continues in Sirte, Libya and is beginning to prepare to expand the efforts to involving air attacks to follow and kill the militants, an initiative that is part of the final push by the Obama administration to extinguish the threat of multiplying militant threats throughout the Middle East.

Several hundred militants have been tracked by the U.S. military’s Africa Command using intel from surveillance aircraft flying over Sirte and surrounding areas of the coastal town. U.S. officials now fear that the escaped militants could be in preparation to launch a counterattack on the allied Libyan forces.

The counterterrorism advisers to the president state that they are eager for Africa Command to track the militants who fled the city but do state that the military responsible for the plan of attack have more “homework” to do and to analyze the intelligence and collect more to avoid inadvertently killing civilians. The Washington Post states the words of one of the U.S. senior officials, who spoke on conditions of anonymity.

“These guys are fleeing the fighting. There aren’t too many of them,. Why wouldn’t you want to pick them off?”

Expansion of the efforts in Libya come while escalations of military combat continue that have been directed by the White House for the purpose of targeting leaders of al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria and for launching campaigns against the strongholds of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Efforts by the Pentagon have also expanded to Somalia, Yemen, and Afghanistan as a means to push back any militants who are a threat to reemerge.

FG Is Warned Of Possible Encroachment Of ISIS Fighters Into Nigeria & Libya https://t.co/bweveScdAr pic.twitter.com/TuqcUA3qYS

— JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) November 12, 2016

The publication shares how the current circumstance will continue to be a major issue faced by President-elect Donald Trump and a threat to the West.

“Though President Obama has seized on the decimation of al-Qaeda’s core leadership as one of his central national security achievements, militant activity has evolved and spread to new theaters in recent years, representing a potentially more treacherous threat to the West. That danger will be among the major issues facing President-elect Donald Trump when he takes office next year, forcing incoming officials to weigh the threat to Americans’ security against the costs of intensified action overseas.”

With the escape of experienced militants, the threat is heightened as it could pull the United States even deeper into the conflict, which could worsen the instability that has been present in Libya since 2011. Obama has seemed more reluctant to commit ground forces to fight, and Trump, based on his campaign statements, seems to share the same stance.

In Libya, United States lays plans to hunt down escaped Islamic State fighters https://t.co/QtdWrKHH0o

— Hindsight Is 20/20 (@WhoIsNum2) November 12, 2016

Since August, the U.S. military has carried out over 360 airstrikes, supporting pro-government forces in Libya. U.S. commandos have also helped local fighters to push back extremists in the coastal city, within which only 100 still remain. The administration states that the Islamic State controlled the entire city prior to the campaign beginning, and now, they state that the IS fighters hold only one square block. The militants continue to hold out, however.

White House National Security Council spokesman Carl Woog, shares the current state and progress of the campaign.

“At the request of the government of national accord, the United States military has conducted airstrikes to help severely constrict ISIL’s ability to operate in Sirte and its environs. We will continue to cooperate closely with the Libyan government as it works to prevent ISIL from finding safe haven anywhere in Libya.”

Those that have escaped Sirte, and are being tracked, are not believed to be IS leaders but are likely fighters of various lower ranks.

[Featured Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]