A US air strike has killed the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Libya, 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.
The strike took place on Friday night. There was no word on the location.
The Pentagon said the strike demonstrated that it would “go after Isil leaders wherever they operate”.
‘Degrading IS’Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the operation had been authorised and taken place before terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday evening.
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,” he said.
Libya remains in chaos four years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, and the growth of Islamic State there has worried Western governments.
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