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Libya IS head 'killed in US air strike' Libya IS head 'killed in US air strike'
(about 1 hour later)
A US air strike has killed the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Libya, the Pentagon says. A US air strike has targeted the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Libya and probably killed him, the Pentagon says.
Iraqi national Abu Nabil, also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi, was a "long-time al-Qaeda operative and the senior Isil leader in Libya", it said, using another acronym for IS. Iraqi national Abu Nabil, also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi, was a "long-time al-Qaeda operative", it said.
The strike took place on Friday night. There was no word on the location. The strike took place on Friday and targeted a compound in Derna.
The Pentagon said the strike demonstrated that it would "go after Isil leaders wherever they operate". The Pentagon said the strike showed that it would go after IS leaders "wherever they operate".
'Degrading IS''Degrading IS'
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the operation had been authorised and taken place before terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday evening. News agencies have quoted US officials saying they are confident Nabil was killed.
He added that Nabil may have been the IS spokesman pictured in a February 2015 video showing the apparent execution of Coptic Christians in Libya. "Nabil's death will degrade Isil's ability to meet the group's objectives in Libya, including recruiting new Isil members, establishing bases in Libya, and planning external attacks on the United States," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said, using a different name for the group.
"Nabil's death will degrade Isil's ability to meet the group's objectives in Libya, including recruiting new Isil members, establishing bases in Libya, and planning external attacks on the United States," he said. He said the operation had been authorised before terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday evening that IS claimed responsibility for.
Libya remains in chaos four years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, and the growth of Islamic State there has worried Western governments. Cook added that Nabil may have been the IS spokesman pictured in a February 2015 video showing the apparent murder of Coptic Christians in Libya.
Libya remains in chaos four years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, and is being fought over by a number of groups, including IS.
It has launched high-profile attacks in the mostly lawless North African country, and gained a foothold in key towns and cities, including Sirte.
The strike on Nabil was the first against an IS leader in Libya, the Pentagon said.
Reuters quoted an eyewitness who said the strikes occurred in areas controlled by IS militants in Derna's south-east suburb of Fattayah.
Libya's rival power bases (as of August 2015)