WASHINGTON: The US military has officially ended operations in a former Daesh bastion in Libya, officials announced.
The Pentagon had launched Operation Odyssey Lightning to help local forces push the militants from the coastal city of Sirte on Aug. 1.
“In partnership with the Libyan Government of National Accord, the operation succeeded in its core objective of enabling GNA-aligned forces to drive Daesh out of Sirte,” the US military’s Africa Command said in a statement.
US drones, gunships and warplanes had hammered Daesh positions, conducting a total of 495 strikes.
“We are proud to have supported this campaign to eliminate ISIL’s hold over the only city it has controlled outside Iraq and Syria,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters.
Officials said the United States would continue to strike Daesh militants if the Libyan unity government asked for help in doing so.
Unity government leader Fayez Al-Sarraj on Saturday announced that military operations in Sirte were done, but Daesh still has fighters in Libya and on Sunday conducted a suicide attack in Benghazi.
The fall of Sirte — Qaddafi’s home town located 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Tripoli — is a major setback for Daesh, which has also faced military defeats in Syria and Iraq.
Libya descended into chaos following the NATO-backed ousting of former ruler Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, with rival administrations emerging and well-armed militias vying for control of its vast oil wealth.
US ends anti-Daesh operation in Libya’s Sirte
US ends anti-Daesh operation in Libya’s Sirte
Fire breaks out in Abu Dhabi industrial area after drone attack: media office
- The Ruwais Industrial Complex houses Abu Dhabi National Oil Company facilities
- Military funeral ceremony for Emirati pilots who died in a helicopter crash held
DUBAI: A fire broke out in the Ruwais Industrial Complex in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday without causing any injuries so far, the media office of the UAE capital reported.
The complex houses Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) facilities that can refine up to 922,000 barrels of oil per day and serves as the central hub for the emirate’s downstream operations, including significant chemical, fertilizer, and industrial gas plants.
تتعامل الجهات المختصة في إمارة أبوظبي مع نشوب حريق في إحدى المنشآت ضمن مجمع الرويس الصناعي، ناجم عن استهداف بالطائرات المسيرة، دون تسجيل إصابات حتى الآن.
— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) March 10, 2026
وأهابت الجهات المختصة بالجمهور استقاء المعلومات من المصادر الرسمية فقط، وتجنُّب تداول الشائعات أو المعلومات غير الموثوقة.
Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Defense said its air defenses were responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran.
وزارة الدفاع تقيم مراسم جنازة عسكرية لشهيدَي الوطن
— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) March 10, 2026
جرت في مستشفى زايد العسكري بأبوظبي مراسم الجنازة العسكرية لشَهيدَيِ الإمارات، النقيب سعيد البلوشي، والملازم أول علي الطنيجي، اللَّذَيْنِ انْتَقَلا إلى جوار رَبِّهِما إثر تَعَرُّضِهِما لحادث سقوط طائرة عمودية بسبب عطل فني أثناء… pic.twitter.com/6cHj83eFc8
The defense ministry also said that the military funeral ceremony for Emirati pilots Captain Saeed Al-Balooshi and First Lieutenant Ali Al-Taniji, who died following a helicopter crash due to a technical malfunction, was held at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
The ceremony was attended by a number of senior leaders and officers from the Ministry of Defense, as well as family members.
