Conflict archive
U.S. air operations and Libyan Government of National Accord operations against Islamic State forces in and around Sirte and follow-on ISIS camps.
The U.S. Campaign Against ISIS in Libya 2016-present centers on U.S. air support to the Libyan Government of National Accord during the 2016 battle to expel ISIS from Sirte, followed by selective strikes against ISIS camps and desert cells that survived the loss of the city. The archive is therefore weighted toward documented U.S. aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft, and precision-strike roles rather than the full Libyan ground order of battle.
This archive tracks systems directly documented in U.S. and Libyan Government of National Accord operations against Islamic State forces in Libya.
Entries emphasize source-backed strike, aircraft, and munition use tied to the Sirte campaign and follow-on operations against ISIS camps.
4 weapon systemsContext
The documented archive is narrow because the most accessible direct sources are U.S. military releases and imagery. Aircraft and UAV entries dominate: MQ-9 Reaper crews provided persistent reconnaissance and strike support during the Sirte battle, while B-2 Spirit bombers represent the follow-on long-range strike against camps southwest of Sirte. Libyan ground weapons used by GNA-aligned forces are not added unless each system has direct, conflict-specific sourcing.
Map
Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Timeline
ISIS established control over Sirte in May 2015, turning the central Libyan coastal city into its most important Libyan stronghold before the GNA counteroffensive.
Sources: Creech RPA Sirte Campaign
The UN-backed Government of National Accord launched an offensive to retake Sirte roughly a year after ISIS took the city, setting up the later request for U.S. air support.
Sources: Creech RPA Sirte Campaign
At the request of and in coordination with the GNA, AFRICOM began precision strikes against ISIS targets in Sirte, including tanks, fighting positions, military support vehicles, and heavy equipment.
Sources: AFRICOM Operation Odyssey Lightning Begins, DVIDS First Sirte Strike Video
The Defense Department said the GNA campaign had liberated Sirte from ISIS; AFRICOM concluded Operation Odyssey Lightning the same day after 495 precision airstrikes in support of GNA-aligned forces.
Sources: DOD Sirte Liberation, AFRICOM Operation Odyssey Lightning Concludes
U.S. forces, in conjunction with the GNA, struck two Daesh camps about 45 kilometers southwest of Sirte; DVIDS and CENTCOM imagery documented the long-range B-2 sortie tied to the strike.
Sources: AFRICOM Daesh Camps Strike, DVIDS B-2 Libya Image
AFRICOM reported six precision strikes against an ISIS desert camp approximately 150 miles southeast of Sirte, describing the site as a place for fighter movement, weapons storage, and attack planning.
Sources: AFRICOM September 2017 Desert Camp Strike
AFRICOM began a September 2019 sequence of strikes coordinated with the GNA against ISIS-Libya targets near Murzuq and elsewhere in southern or southwestern Libya, showing the campaign's shift from the Sirte urban fight to desert cells.
Sources: AFRICOM September 2019 Murzuq Strike, AFRICOM 2019 Strike Archive
Phases
ISIS control of Sirte made the city the focus of the GNA's 2016 offensive. This phase is included as background for the U.S. campaign even though the catalog conflict begins with U.S. air operations on August 1, 2016.
U.S. airpower supported GNA-aligned forces in dense urban fighting around Sirte, with MQ-9 crews, Marine AV-8B Harriers, AH-1W Super Cobras, and other aircraft conducting or supporting precision strikes.
After ISIS lost Sirte, U.S. and GNA-coordinated operations shifted to camps and mobile cells outside the city, including B-2 strikes southwest of Sirte and later AFRICOM strikes in southern Libya.
External Support
Outside military support was primarily U.S. airpower provided at the GNA's request and in coordination with GNA-aligned forces. Official U.S. accounts identify AFRICOM precision strikes, remotely piloted aircraft, Marine AV-8B Harriers and AH-1W Super Cobras, amphibious and maritime support, and later B-2 bomber strikes against camps outside Sirte; the sources do not document a major weapon-transfer program for this archive.
Images
Category
Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.
Category
Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.
Conflict Sources
Official U.S. releases are strong for airstrike dates, platforms, broad target categories, and GNA coordination, but they do not provide a complete Libyan ground-force order of battle. Month-level dates in the early background phase are used only where sources describe events by month rather than exact day.
