Following the visit of the Commander of AFRICOM to Tripoli last week, the US has killed four alleged Islamic State insurgents by an airstrike 178 miles from the coast, near to Bani Walid. This falls within their policy to degrade terrorist groups which threaten to destabilize Libya and the region.
The government of National Accord has given authority in a way that the transitional government refused in 2012. Bani Walid is the gateway to the Sahara and closely linked to Sirte and Misratah. This troublesome triangle has been a constant source of insecurity; see Chapter 6 of Belfast to Benghazi for the story of the Battle of Bani Walid in January 2012.
Rupert Wieloch 