The US military conducted air strikes in Libya on Monday, following a government request to target the Islamic State group&#39;s Libyan stronghold of Sirte, the Pentagon announced. 
 
While the Pentagon has previously carried out air attacks on specific high-value IS targets in Libya, Monday&#39;s action marked the first known US strikes in Sirte itself. 
 
&quot;At the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord, the United States military conducted precision air strikes against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat ISIL in its primary stronghold in Libya,&quot; Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement, using an acronym for the IS group. 
 
US strikes in Sirte &quot;will continue&quot;, Cook added without elaborating. 
 
President Barack Obama authorised the bombings following recommendations from top pentagon officials, and the strikes were &quot;consistent with our approach to combating ISIL by working with capable and motivated local forces&quot;, Cook added. 
 
&quot;The US stands with the international community in supporting the GNA as it strives to restore stability and security to Libya,&quot; he said. 
 
Monday&#39;s action comes after a US strike targeted an IS training camp in a rural area near Sabratha, outside Tripoli, in February, likely killing an IS leader called Noureddine Chouchane and dozens of other jihadists. 
 
In November, a US strike killed Abu Nabil, another IS leader who was also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi. 
 
A US senior administration official said US action would be limited to strikes and information sharing to support these, and that 
American troops would not take part in any ground operations to support the GNA. 
 
The official said precision strikes would target key IS military infrastructure such as tanks, high-caliber weapons and command and control nodes.&nbsp;Libya spiraled into chaos after longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was ousted and killed in October 2011, with two governments vying for power and armed groups battling to control vast energy resources. 
 
Exploiting Libya&#39;s power vacuum, IS jihadists established a foothold in Libya, especially in Sirte. The Pentagon estimates fewer than 1,000 IS fighters are in Sirte. 
 
(AFP)

Monday's action comes after a US strike targeted an IS training camp in a rural area near Sabratha, outside Tripoli, in February

The US military conducted air strikes in Libya on Monday, following a government request to target the Islamic State group's Libyan stronghold of Sirte, the Pentagon announced. While the Pentagon has previously carried out air attacks on specific high-value IS targets in Libya, Monday's action marked the first known US strikes in Sirte itself. "At the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord, the United States military conducted precision air strikes against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat ISIL in its primary stronghold in Libya," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement, using an acronym for the IS group. US strikes in Sirte "will continue", Cook added without elaborating. President Barack Obama authorised the bombings following recommendations from top pentagon officials, and the strikes were "consistent with our approach to combating ISIL by working with capable and motivated local forces", Cook added. "The US stands with the international community in supporting the GNA as it strives to restore stability and security to Libya," he said. Monday's action comes after a US strike targeted an IS training camp in a rural area near Sabratha, outside Tripoli, in February, likely killing an IS leader called Noureddine Chouchane and dozens of other jihadists. In November, a US strike killed Abu Nabil, another IS leader who was also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi. A US senior administration official said US action would be limited to strikes and information sharing to support these, and that American troops would not take part in any ground operations to support the GNA. The official said precision strikes would target key IS military infrastructure such as tanks, high-caliber weapons and command and control nodes. Libya spiraled into chaos after longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was ousted and killed in October 2011, with two governments vying for power and armed groups battling to control vast energy resources. Exploiting Libya's power vacuum, IS jihadists established a foothold in Libya, especially in Sirte. The Pentagon estimates fewer than 1,000 IS fighters are in Sirte. (AFP)

US launches first anti-IS air strikes in Libya's Sirte

More than 120 bodies of&nbsp;migrants&nbsp;who died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe have washed up around Sabratha in western Libya this month, the city&#39;s mayor said on Sunday.

Hussein Thwadi said bodies had washed up on a daily basis, with 53 found on a single day last week.

Libya is a common departure point for&nbsp;migrants&nbsp;seeking to travel to Europe by boat, many of them fleeing violence, repression or poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

Political turmoil and armed conflict in Libya have given smugglers the space to work with impunity, running trafficking networks that bring&nbsp;migrants&nbsp;across the Sahara desert to the coast.

Of more than 3,000&nbsp;migrants&nbsp;known to have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, about three out of four perished trying to reach Italy from North Africa, mainly Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Nearly 90,000&nbsp;migrants&nbsp;had crossed the central Mediterranean to Italy as of this week, the IOM said, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year.

As the number of attempted crossings from Libya picked up in the spring with the arrival of calmer weather, many of the boats have been leaving from the coastline near Sabratha.

&quot;The whole coast of Sabratha is open,&quot; Thwadi told Reuters by phone. &quot;There are patrols but they do not have enough capacity to tackle this crisis.&quot;

&quot;Illegal migration existed before, but with insecurity and the lack of state authorities, the crisis has become worse and worse.&quot;

Thwadi said most of the&nbsp;migrants&nbsp;whose bodies washed up this month were from sub-Saharan African states, though there were also 23 Tunisians. Red Crescent volunteers and local officials have been removing them for burial in a cemetery for unidentified bodies in Sabratha, he said.

A UN-backed government that has been trying to establish itself in Tripoli since March says tackling migration is among its priorities.&nbsp;But the government is struggling to manage complex security and economic challenges, and still faces political opposition on the ground.&nbsp;Thwadi said he had raised the issue with the new government&#39;s leadership but had not yet received any concrete response.

(Reuters)

Nearly 90,000?migrants?had crossed the central Mediterranean to Italy as of this week, a 14% increase over the previous year

More than 120 bodies of migrants who died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe have washed up around Sabratha in western Libya this month, the city's mayor said on Sunday. Hussein Thwadi said bodies had washed up on a daily basis, with 53 found on a single day last week. Libya is a common departure point for migrants seeking to travel to Europe by boat, many of them fleeing violence, repression or poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Political turmoil and armed conflict in Libya have given smugglers the space to work with impunity, running trafficking networks that bring migrants across the Sahara desert to the coast. Of more than 3,000 migrants known to have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, about three out of four perished trying to reach Italy from North Africa, mainly Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Nearly 90,000 migrants had crossed the central Mediterranean to Italy as of this week, the IOM said, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year. As the number of attempted crossings from Libya picked up in the spring with the arrival of calmer weather, many of the boats have been leaving from the coastline near Sabratha. "The whole coast of Sabratha is open," Thwadi told Reuters by phone. "There are patrols but they do not have enough capacity to tackle this crisis." "Illegal migration existed before, but with insecurity and the lack of state authorities, the crisis has become worse and worse." Thwadi said most of the migrants whose bodies washed up this month were from sub-Saharan African states, though there were also 23 Tunisians. Red Crescent volunteers and local officials have been removing them for burial in a cemetery for unidentified bodies in Sabratha, he said. A UN-backed government that has been trying to establish itself in Tripoli since March says tackling migration is among its priorities. But the government is struggling to manage complex security and economic challenges, and still faces political opposition on the ground. Thwadi said he had raised the issue with the new government's leadership but had not yet received any concrete response. (Reuters)

More than 120 migrant bodies washed up in Libya's Sabratha this July

Volunteers have recovered the bodies of 41 presumed migrants that washed up on a Libyan beach, an official from the coastal city of Sabratha said today. 
 
The bodies, found on Saturday on the city&#39;s beach west of the capital Tripoli, were taken to the morgue for DNA testing before being buried, the official said. 
 
&quot;We think that these are people who drowned five or six days ago,&quot; added the official who did not wish to be identified. 
 
He said that normally one or two bodies a day were found and that 41 in just one day is &quot;an exceptionally high number&quot;. 
 
The group of volunteers who found the bodies was trained by Sabratha city council in mid-July to look for victims of people smugglers, the official said. 
 
Illegal migration from Libya booms in the summer months when the Mediterranean is generally calm and traffickers pack unsafe boats with migrants desperate to start a new life in Europe. 
 
People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi to boost their lucrative business. 
 
They cram migrants into boats that are small and unsafe for the perilous journey to Italy just 300 kilometres from Libya&#39;s shores. 
 
Thousands of migrants try each year to make the sea crossing but many drown. 
 
More than 10,000 migrants bound for Europe, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 
 
(AFP)

The people drowned five or six days ago, officials presumed, adding that 41 in just one day is 'an exceptionally high number'

Volunteers have recovered the bodies of 41 presumed migrants that washed up on a Libyan beach, an official from the coastal city of Sabratha said today. The bodies, found on Saturday on the city's beach west of the capital Tripoli, were taken to the morgue for DNA testing before being buried, the official said. "We think that these are people who drowned five or six days ago," added the official who did not wish to be identified. He said that normally one or two bodies a day were found and that 41 in just one day is "an exceptionally high number". The group of volunteers who found the bodies was trained by Sabratha city council in mid-July to look for victims of people smugglers, the official said. Illegal migration from Libya booms in the summer months when the Mediterranean is generally calm and traffickers pack unsafe boats with migrants desperate to start a new life in Europe. People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi to boost their lucrative business. They cram migrants into boats that are small and unsafe for the perilous journey to Italy just 300 kilometres from Libya's shores. Thousands of migrants try each year to make the sea crossing but many drown. More than 10,000 migrants bound for Europe, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (AFP)

41 bodies wash up on Libya beach

Forces loyal to Libya&#39;s unity government said today they had seized a building used by the Islamic State group to manufacture explosives in its coastal stronghold. 
 
The bomb factory is the largest to be captured by fighters allied with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) since they launched an operation to retake Sirte in May, the forces said on Facebook. 
 
They said the building was in the southeast of Sirte, the hometown of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi which IS has controlled since June 2015. 
 
The pro-GNA forces shared images of the building including several rooms containing explosive devices, cables and mobile phones. 
 
The fall of Sirte, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli, will be a major blow to IS, which has faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq. 
 
The two-month battle for Sirte has killed around 280 pro-government fighters and wounded more than 1,500, according to medical sources at the unity forces&#39; command centre. 
 
The pro-GNA forces are mostly made up of militias from western Libya established during the 2011 revolt that overthrew Gaddafi. 
 
A militia set up to guard the country&#39;s main oil facilities has also been advancing on IS. 
 
The GNA was the result of a UN-brokered power-sharing agreement struck in December, but it has yet to be endorsed by Libya&#39;s elected Parliament based in the country&#39;s far east. 
 
(AFP)

It is the largest to be captured by fighters allied with the government of national accord since they launched an operation to retake Sirte

Forces loyal to Libya's unity government said today they had seized a building used by the Islamic State group to manufacture explosives in its coastal stronghold. The bomb factory is the largest to be captured by fighters allied with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) since they launched an operation to retake Sirte in May, the forces said on Facebook. They said the building was in the southeast of Sirte, the hometown of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi which IS has controlled since June 2015. The pro-GNA forces shared images of the building including several rooms containing explosive devices, cables and mobile phones. The fall of Sirte, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli, will be a major blow to IS, which has faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq. The two-month battle for Sirte has killed around 280 pro-government fighters and wounded more than 1,500, according to medical sources at the unity forces' command centre. The pro-GNA forces are mostly made up of militias from western Libya established during the 2011 revolt that overthrew Gaddafi. A militia set up to guard the country's main oil facilities has also been advancing on IS. The GNA was the result of a UN-brokered power-sharing agreement struck in December, but it has yet to be endorsed by Libya's elected Parliament based in the country's far east. (AFP)

Libyan loyalists seize Islamic State bomb factory

Hundreds of rescued migrants arrived to safety at the Sicilian port of Trapani on Friday (July 22) according to the Italian coastguard. 
 
The bodies of 21 women and one man were also brought to the port by humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) after being found on a rubber dinghy adrift near the Libyan coast earlier in the week. 
 
An MSF ship patrolling the central Mediterranean came to the rescue of two dinghies that were sailing close together and managed to pull 209 people, including 50 children, to safety. 
 
However, 22 migrants were found dead at the bottom of the first dinghy, lying in a pool of fuel. 
 
Red Cross workers held roses and stood in silence on the portside in Trapani, Sicily, as the bodies of 21 women and a man were carried off a rescue ship, placed in wooden coffins and loaded into hearses. 
 
Survivors told MSF the victims had drowned in 30 centimetres (12 inches) of water and fuel. 
 
&quot;People were trying not to slip into (the) pool of fuel/water in (the) middle of (the) dinghy, but when they moved to the sides more water came in,&quot; a survivor named only as David was quoted as saying on MSFs Twitter feed.&nbsp; 
 
The overcrowded dinghy was deflating on one side. Those aboard began trying to bail out the water, which rose quickly to knee high. 
 
&quot;Girls sitting down in centre started to panic, tried to get up,&quot; he said. &quot;The bodies were on the floor under water, we were shouting and praying to be rescued.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
MSF said many of the 209 survivors were crying as they disembarked, and the charity was offering psychological support. Among those saved by the MS Aquarius were two pregnant women and 50 children, 45 of whom were travelling without their parents.It was not the first tragedy to be caused by panic onboard over fears of sinking.&nbsp; 
 
Desperate migrants all too often cause their own shipwrecks as they tip their unstable crafts over by waving frantically for help or attempting to bail out water.&nbsp; 
 
Since 2014, more than 10,000 migrants have died or are feared to have drowned while attempting the perilous journey to Europe by sea, most losing their lives in the central Mediterranean, the UNHCR says. 
 
Nearly 3,000 have died or been lost at sea during the crossing so far this year. That represents a sharp increase on the same period in 2015, when 1,870 people died, according to MSF. 
 
&quot;Our experience is that the number of migrant boats -- simple dinghies with hundreds of people massed on them -- driven to leave by the difficult situation in Libya, are on the rise,&quot; Loris De Filippi, head of MSF Italy, said Thursday. 
 
(Reuters, AFP) 
&nbsp;

There has been a jump in the number of migrants who people smugglers have put onto overcrowded boats in Libya this week amid calm seas

Hundreds of rescued migrants arrived to safety at the Sicilian port of Trapani on Friday (July 22) according to the Italian coastguard. The bodies of 21 women and one man were also brought to the port by humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) after being found on a rubber dinghy adrift near the Libyan coast earlier in the week. An MSF ship patrolling the central Mediterranean came to the rescue of two dinghies that were sailing close together and managed to pull 209 people, including 50 children, to safety. However, 22 migrants were found dead at the bottom of the first dinghy, lying in a pool of fuel. Red Cross workers held roses and stood in silence on the portside in Trapani, Sicily, as the bodies of 21 women and a man were carried off a rescue ship, placed in wooden coffins and loaded into hearses. Survivors told MSF the victims had drowned in 30 centimetres (12 inches) of water and fuel. "People were trying not to slip into (the) pool of fuel/water in (the) middle of (the) dinghy, but when they moved to the sides more water came in," a survivor named only as David was quoted as saying on MSFs Twitter feed. The overcrowded dinghy was deflating on one side. Those aboard began trying to bail out the water, which rose quickly to knee high. "Girls sitting down in centre started to panic, tried to get up," he said. "The bodies were on the floor under water, we were shouting and praying to be rescued." MSF said many of the 209 survivors were crying as they disembarked, and the charity was offering psychological support. Among those saved by the MS Aquarius were two pregnant women and 50 children, 45 of whom were travelling without their parents.It was not the first tragedy to be caused by panic onboard over fears of sinking. Desperate migrants all too often cause their own shipwrecks as they tip their unstable crafts over by waving frantically for help or attempting to bail out water. Since 2014, more than 10,000 migrants have died or are feared to have drowned while attempting the perilous journey to Europe by sea, most losing their lives in the central Mediterranean, the UNHCR says. Nearly 3,000 have died or been lost at sea during the crossing so far this year. That represents a sharp increase on the same period in 2015, when 1,870 people died, according to MSF. "Our experience is that the number of migrant boats -- simple dinghies with hundreds of people massed on them -- driven to leave by the difficult situation in Libya, are on the rise," Loris De Filippi, head of MSF Italy, said Thursday. (Reuters, AFP)

22 migrants 'crushed, drowned' in dinghy horror

Oil prices sank in Asia today after data indicated a rise in US stockpiles, reigniting concerns about a supply glut, while profit-takers stepped in after the previous day&#39;s rally. 
 
The American Petroleum Institute reported a 2.2 million barrel rise in reserves last week, confounding expectations of a dip at the height of the crucial summer holiday driving season. 
 
The figures rattled traders as the Department of Energy prepares to release official data later today, which is considered a key gauge of demand in the world&#39;s top oil consumer. 
 
At about 0645 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate fell 51 cents, or 1.09 per cent, to $46.29 while Brent was 60 cents, or 1.24 per cent, lower at $47.87. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s bearish for oil if stockpiles gain because seasonally speaking, inventories tend to decline at least until mid-August,&quot; Hong Sung Ki, a commodities analyst at Samsung Futures Inc., told Bloomberg News. 
 
&quot;But of course, we need to see whether this will be a one-time gain or not,&quot; the analyst added.&nbsp; 
 
Both contracts surged almost five per cent on Tuesday from two-month lows after The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said it expected the global supply glut to ease this year and next thanks to reductions in output from producers outside the cartel, particularly the United States. 
 
Prices have fluctuated between $44 and $52 a barrel over the past month after hitting near 13-year lows below $30 in February, but a surge in OPEC production in June revived fears about oversupply. 
 
Energy information provider S&amp;P Global Platts said production from the OPEC climbed 300,000 barrels per day in June, close to an eight-year high of 32.73 million barrels per day. 
 
This is due to a tentative recovery in production in Nigeria and Libya, and a &quot;steady&quot; rise in output from Saudi Arabia and Iran, it said. 
 
&quot;We had the bulls for a couple of weeks and the bears are starting to step in,&quot; David Lennox, an analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney, said. 
 
&quot;The market has realised that surplus that we had was disrupted, and that it is coming back because those disruptions are going away,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Canadian producers are also gradually coming back online, restoring supply for the biggest crude supplier to the US market, after wildfires swept through the Alberta oil sands region from May to July. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The figures rattled traders as the Department of Energy prepares to release official data later today

Oil prices sank in Asia today after data indicated a rise in US stockpiles, reigniting concerns about a supply glut, while profit-takers stepped in after the previous day's rally. The American Petroleum Institute reported a 2.2 million barrel rise in reserves last week, confounding expectations of a dip at the height of the crucial summer holiday driving season. The figures rattled traders as the Department of Energy prepares to release official data later today, which is considered a key gauge of demand in the world's top oil consumer. At about 0645 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate fell 51 cents, or 1.09 per cent, to $46.29 while Brent was 60 cents, or 1.24 per cent, lower at $47.87. "It's bearish for oil if stockpiles gain because seasonally speaking, inventories tend to decline at least until mid-August," Hong Sung Ki, a commodities analyst at Samsung Futures Inc., told Bloomberg News. "But of course, we need to see whether this will be a one-time gain or not," the analyst added. Both contracts surged almost five per cent on Tuesday from two-month lows after The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said it expected the global supply glut to ease this year and next thanks to reductions in output from producers outside the cartel, particularly the United States. Prices have fluctuated between $44 and $52 a barrel over the past month after hitting near 13-year lows below $30 in February, but a surge in OPEC production in June revived fears about oversupply. Energy information provider S&P Global Platts said production from the OPEC climbed 300,000 barrels per day in June, close to an eight-year high of 32.73 million barrels per day. This is due to a tentative recovery in production in Nigeria and Libya, and a "steady" rise in output from Saudi Arabia and Iran, it said. "We had the bulls for a couple of weeks and the bears are starting to step in," David Lennox, an analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney, said. "The market has realised that surplus that we had was disrupted, and that it is coming back because those disruptions are going away," he added. Canadian producers are also gradually coming back online, restoring supply for the biggest crude supplier to the US market, after wildfires swept through the Alberta oil sands region from May to July. (AFP)

Oil prices sink in Asia triggering supply glut concerns

The United States on Friday lifted the lid on one of the most controversial tactics of President Barack Obama&#39;s secretive counter-terror campaign, detailing for the first time the number of those killed in air strikes in countries like Pakistan and Libya. 
 
At the same time, the White House released an executive order outlining the steps that should be taken to reduce civilian casualties in America&#39;s ongoing battle against violent extremism. 
 
In a much-anticipated report, the director of national intelligence (DNI) provided fatality estimates for the 473 strikes between 2009 and 2015 that he said were conducted outside America&#39;s principal war zones in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. 
 
The DNI said somewhere between 64 and 116 civilians were killed in the strikes, and up to 2,581 terrorists. 
 
Such attacks are typically conducted via drones, though manned warplanes and missiles have also been used. 
 
Though the US military routinely releases information on strikes targeting the Islamic State group and other organizations, mainly in Iraq and Syria, it is the first time the Obama administration has published a toll from its strikes elsewhere, in countries like Libya, Somalia and Pakistan. 
 
The release comes after rights groups and the media for years demanded better accounting of such military actions under Obama, and many questioned the legality of the strikes. 
 
Critics have long alleged that US strikes, especially by drones, kill far more civilians than the administration claims, and Friday&#39;s release did not appear to change that narrative. 
 
Observers also say that without better transparency, it is impossible to gauge the accuracy of US fatality assessments.&nbsp; 
 
The American Civil Liberties Union, for instance, welcomed the release of information but said it was too narrow in scope and left the US public unsure if the government deploys lethal force legally. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s hard to credit the government&#39;s death count, which is lower than all independent assessments,&quot; said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU&#39;s National Security Project. 
 
&quot;The government continues to conceal the identities of people it has killed, the specific definitions it uses to decide who can legitimately be targetted, and its investigations into credibly alleged wrongful killings,&quot; Hina added. 
 
Even the DNI seemed to acknowledge the possible weakness of its own numbers. 
 
&quot;Although the US government has access to a wide range of information, the figures released today should be considered in light of the inherent limitations on the ability to determine the precise number of combatant and non-combatant deaths given the non-permissive environments in which these strikes often occur,&quot; the DNI said in a statement. 
 
Often, neither the military nor US intelligence agencies are able to send an operative to the scene of a drone strike, making it all but impossible to definitively assess how many people were hit. 
 
Laura Pitter, senior US national security counsel at Human Rights Watch, said Obama had failed to explain who the campaign targets and why, so there is no way to verify the purported casualty figures. 
 
&quot;Unless details are provided on specific incidents, it&#39;s not possible to determine if individuals killed were civilians, and thus whether the US is complying with its own policy and with international law,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, The White House released an executive order that sets out the best practices that can be applied to future strikes, regardless of where they are conducted. 
 
&quot;Civilian casualties are a tragic and, at times, unavoidable consequence of the use of force in situations of armed conflict,&quot; Obama&#39;s order states.&nbsp; 
 
Among its provisions are requirements for the US government to acknowledge responsibility for civilian casualties and to offer condolences and payments to injured civilians and the relatives of those killed. 
 
&quot;The US failure to even acknowledge strikes in the past, let alone compensate for harm caused, has generated an enormous backlash in many communities,&quot; Pitter noted. 
 
The order also undertakes to consider information from other sources, such as non-government organizations, in determining civilian casualties. 
 
However, a future president can easily scrap the order, and critics point to the irony of its timing - coming at the end of Obama&#39;s eight-year term, during which he kept his counter-terror strikes under close wraps. 
 
&quot;If we can press this administration to make good on the commitments that are in this executive order, it could be huge,&quot; said Naureen Shah, a program director at Amnesty International, USA. 
 
(AFP)

It's hard to credit the government's death count, which is lower than all independent assessments: American Civil Liberties Union director

The United States on Friday lifted the lid on one of the most controversial tactics of President Barack Obama's secretive counter-terror campaign, detailing for the first time the number of those killed in air strikes in countries like Pakistan and Libya. At the same time, the White House released an executive order outlining the steps that should be taken to reduce civilian casualties in America's ongoing battle against violent extremism. In a much-anticipated report, the director of national intelligence (DNI) provided fatality estimates for the 473 strikes between 2009 and 2015 that he said were conducted outside America's principal war zones in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The DNI said somewhere between 64 and 116 civilians were killed in the strikes, and up to 2,581 terrorists. Such attacks are typically conducted via drones, though manned warplanes and missiles have also been used. Though the US military routinely releases information on strikes targeting the Islamic State group and other organizations, mainly in Iraq and Syria, it is the first time the Obama administration has published a toll from its strikes elsewhere, in countries like Libya, Somalia and Pakistan. The release comes after rights groups and the media for years demanded better accounting of such military actions under Obama, and many questioned the legality of the strikes. Critics have long alleged that US strikes, especially by drones, kill far more civilians than the administration claims, and Friday's release did not appear to change that narrative. Observers also say that without better transparency, it is impossible to gauge the accuracy of US fatality assessments. The American Civil Liberties Union, for instance, welcomed the release of information but said it was too narrow in scope and left the US public unsure if the government deploys lethal force legally. "It's hard to credit the government's death count, which is lower than all independent assessments," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project. "The government continues to conceal the identities of people it has killed, the specific definitions it uses to decide who can legitimately be targetted, and its investigations into credibly alleged wrongful killings," Hina added. Even the DNI seemed to acknowledge the possible weakness of its own numbers. "Although the US government has access to a wide range of information, the figures released today should be considered in light of the inherent limitations on the ability to determine the precise number of combatant and non-combatant deaths given the non-permissive environments in which these strikes often occur," the DNI said in a statement. Often, neither the military nor US intelligence agencies are able to send an operative to the scene of a drone strike, making it all but impossible to definitively assess how many people were hit. Laura Pitter, senior US national security counsel at Human Rights Watch, said Obama had failed to explain who the campaign targets and why, so there is no way to verify the purported casualty figures. "Unless details are provided on specific incidents, it's not possible to determine if individuals killed were civilians, and thus whether the US is complying with its own policy and with international law," she said. Meanwhile, The White House released an executive order that sets out the best practices that can be applied to future strikes, regardless of where they are conducted. "Civilian casualties are a tragic and, at times, unavoidable consequence of the use of force in situations of armed conflict," Obama's order states. Among its provisions are requirements for the US government to acknowledge responsibility for civilian casualties and to offer condolences and payments to injured civilians and the relatives of those killed. "The US failure to even acknowledge strikes in the past, let alone compensate for harm caused, has generated an enormous backlash in many communities," Pitter noted. The order also undertakes to consider information from other sources, such as non-government organizations, in determining civilian casualties. However, a future president can easily scrap the order, and critics point to the irony of its timing - coming at the end of Obama's eight-year term, during which he kept his counter-terror strikes under close wraps. "If we can press this administration to make good on the commitments that are in this executive order, it could be huge," said Naureen Shah, a program director at Amnesty International, USA. (AFP)

In a first, US releases death toll from drone strikes in Libya, Somalia and Pakistan

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday accused Hillary Clinton&#39;s state department of failing to protect four Americans killed in a 2012 attack in Libya in a final report that contained no major new revelations, but rekindled debate on the US presidential campaign trail. 
 
In an 800-page report that Democrats derided as a political vendetta, Republicans said Clinton, who served as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and her staff, showed a &quot;shameful&quot; lack of response to congressional investigators looking into the attacks on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. 
 
The report, the culmination of a two-year investigation by a special congressional committee led by Republican representative Trey Gowdy, is likely to be the last official attempt to investigate the attack. Seven other congressional panels have also investigated the attack on the US diplomatic and CIA posts in Benghazi. 
 
The latest investigation has been used by Republicans to attack Clinton&rsquo;s national-security credentials. Opinion polls have shown Americans deeply split along partisan lines over the probe. 
 
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly charged that Clinton is personally responsible for the deaths of a US ambassador and three other Americans killed by militia groups in the September &nbsp;11, 2012 incident. 
 
Clinton&#39;s campaign dismissed the committee&#39;s report, saying it had not found anything that had not been discovered by previous congressional probes. White House press secretary Josh Earnest labelled the effort a &quot;political exercise.&quot; 
 
Clinton, speaking in Denver, said it was crucial to &quot;learn the right lessons&quot; from the Benghazi tragedy. 
 
&quot;No one has thought more about or lost more sleep over the lives that we lost - the four Americans - which was devastating,&quot; said Clinton. 
 
Trump waited until hours after the report&#39;s release to comment. &quot;Benghazi is just another Hillary Clinton failure,&quot; he said on Twitter. &quot;It just never seems to work the way it&#39;s supposed to with Clinton.&quot; 
 
Republican national committee chairman Reince Priebus said Clinton&#39;s actions as secretary of state were &quot;disqualifying.&quot; 
 
&quot;Hillary Clinton was in charge, knew the risks, and did nothing&quot; to protect personnel on the ground in Libya, he said. 
 
Professor Julian Zelizer, a political analyst at Princeton University, called the report &quot;old news&quot; but said that would not stop Trump from trying to exploit the issue going forward. &quot;A story like this, even though it seems familiar, can still serve to mobilise Republicans, and certainly Donald Trump will do that. He&rsquo;ll certainly try,&rdquo; Zelizer said. 
 
Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist, said he doubted the report would influence undecided voters. &quot;Those who are willing to believe that there was wrongdoing on secretary Clinton&rsquo;s part were unlikely willing to vote for her in the first place,&quot; he said. 
 
Systematic security lapses&nbsp; 
 
At a news conference on Capitol Hill, Gowdy, chairman of the special congressional panel, said there was a disconnect between the violence unfolding in Benghazi and the perception among top Obama administration officials that &quot;the fighting had subsided&quot; at the US diplomatic compound. 
 
The committee&#39;s report faulted the state department for providing inadequate security for the US compound in Benghazi, state department officials and the CIA for failing to properly evaluate the threat to US personnel on the ground, and the Pentagon for not being in position to aid the Americans under siege. The report did not dispute assertions by the Obama administration that such a mission would have come too late to help the four who were killed. 
 
None of those conclusions, however, came as revelations. All had been reached by previous probes. 
 
The report also accused the White House of stonewalling the investigation, something aides to Obama have denied. 
 
Democrats on the Benghazi committee issued their own report a day before Tuesday&#39;s release, accusing Republicans of conducting an overzealous investigation. 
 
According to a website maintained by committee Democrats, the investigation cost more than $7.1 million, a figure that excludes money spent on investigations by the seven other congressional committees that investigated the attacks. 
 
The Gowdy committee investigation lasted 782 days, longer than congressional probes of Pearl Harbour, the Kennedy assassination, the Iran-Contra scandal and Hurricane Katrina. 
 
Since it was established in May 2014, the Gowdy committee has held four public hearings, according to its website, which said that it interviewed 107 witnesses, mostly behind closed doors, including 81 who never appeared before the other committees that investigated the attacks. It reviewed about 75,000 pages of previously unexamined documents. 
 
Clinton rebuffed charges 
 
Last October, Clinton, already a Democratic presidential candidate, calmly deflected harsh Republican criticism of her handling of the attack during a testy 11-hour hearing before the Gowdy committee. 
 
In testimony that stretched deep into the night, Clinton rejected Republican accusations that she ignored requests for security upgrades in Libya and misinformed the public about the cause of the attack. 
 
Clinton&#39;s appearance before the panel followed months of controversy about her use of a private home email server for her state department work, a disclosure that emerged in part because of the panel&#39;s demand to see her official records. 
 
A 2012 report by a government accountability review board faulted state department officials for providing &quot;grossly&quot; insufficient security in Benghazi, despite upgrade requests from ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and others in Libya. 
 
(Reuters)

The killing of an ambassador and three other Americans in a US compound in Benghazi has been used by Republicans to flay Clinton repeatedly

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday accused Hillary Clinton's state department of failing to protect four Americans killed in a 2012 attack in Libya in a final report that contained no major new revelations, but rekindled debate on the US presidential campaign trail. In an 800-page report that Democrats derided as a political vendetta, Republicans said Clinton, who served as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and her staff, showed a "shameful" lack of response to congressional investigators looking into the attacks on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The report, the culmination of a two-year investigation by a special congressional committee led by Republican representative Trey Gowdy, is likely to be the last official attempt to investigate the attack. Seven other congressional panels have also investigated the attack on the US diplomatic and CIA posts in Benghazi. The latest investigation has been used by Republicans to attack Clinton’s national-security credentials. Opinion polls have shown Americans deeply split along partisan lines over the probe. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly charged that Clinton is personally responsible for the deaths of a US ambassador and three other Americans killed by militia groups in the September 11, 2012 incident. Clinton's campaign dismissed the committee's report, saying it had not found anything that had not been discovered by previous congressional probes. White House press secretary Josh Earnest labelled the effort a "political exercise." Clinton, speaking in Denver, said it was crucial to "learn the right lessons" from the Benghazi tragedy. "No one has thought more about or lost more sleep over the lives that we lost - the four Americans - which was devastating," said Clinton. Trump waited until hours after the report's release to comment. "Benghazi is just another Hillary Clinton failure," he said on Twitter. "It just never seems to work the way it's supposed to with Clinton." Republican national committee chairman Reince Priebus said Clinton's actions as secretary of state were "disqualifying." "Hillary Clinton was in charge, knew the risks, and did nothing" to protect personnel on the ground in Libya, he said. Professor Julian Zelizer, a political analyst at Princeton University, called the report "old news" but said that would not stop Trump from trying to exploit the issue going forward. "A story like this, even though it seems familiar, can still serve to mobilise Republicans, and certainly Donald Trump will do that. He’ll certainly try,” Zelizer said. Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist, said he doubted the report would influence undecided voters. "Those who are willing to believe that there was wrongdoing on secretary Clinton’s part were unlikely willing to vote for her in the first place," he said. Systematic security lapses At a news conference on Capitol Hill, Gowdy, chairman of the special congressional panel, said there was a disconnect between the violence unfolding in Benghazi and the perception among top Obama administration officials that "the fighting had subsided" at the US diplomatic compound. The committee's report faulted the state department for providing inadequate security for the US compound in Benghazi, state department officials and the CIA for failing to properly evaluate the threat to US personnel on the ground, and the Pentagon for not being in position to aid the Americans under siege. The report did not dispute assertions by the Obama administration that such a mission would have come too late to help the four who were killed. None of those conclusions, however, came as revelations. All had been reached by previous probes. The report also accused the White House of stonewalling the investigation, something aides to Obama have denied. Democrats on the Benghazi committee issued their own report a day before Tuesday's release, accusing Republicans of conducting an overzealous investigation. According to a website maintained by committee Democrats, the investigation cost more than $7.1 million, a figure that excludes money spent on investigations by the seven other congressional committees that investigated the attacks. The Gowdy committee investigation lasted 782 days, longer than congressional probes of Pearl Harbour, the Kennedy assassination, the Iran-Contra scandal and Hurricane Katrina. Since it was established in May 2014, the Gowdy committee has held four public hearings, according to its website, which said that it interviewed 107 witnesses, mostly behind closed doors, including 81 who never appeared before the other committees that investigated the attacks. It reviewed about 75,000 pages of previously unexamined documents. Clinton rebuffed charges Last October, Clinton, already a Democratic presidential candidate, calmly deflected harsh Republican criticism of her handling of the attack during a testy 11-hour hearing before the Gowdy committee. In testimony that stretched deep into the night, Clinton rejected Republican accusations that she ignored requests for security upgrades in Libya and misinformed the public about the cause of the attack. Clinton's appearance before the panel followed months of controversy about her use of a private home email server for her state department work, a disclosure that emerged in part because of the panel's demand to see her official records. A 2012 report by a government accountability review board faulted state department officials for providing "grossly" insufficient security in Benghazi, despite upgrade requests from ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and others in Libya. (Reuters)

Clinton's culpability over Benghazi attack debate reignites after panel's report

Forces aligned with Libya&#39;s unity government said they had taken control of the port of Sirte, making further gains in Islamic State&#39;s North African stronghold. 
 
Brigades, largely composed of fighters from Misrata, advanced this week to the perimeter of Sirte&#39;s city centre after launching a counter attack against the Islamic State last month and driving the militant group back along the coastal road between the two cities. 
 
The brigades are part of an operation supported by Libya&#39;s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which arrived in Tripoli in March and has been gradually working to establish its authority. 
 
Western powers see it as the best bet for trying to unite Libya&#39;s political and armed factions against the Islamic State and for restoring some stability in the oil-rich North African country. 
 
A source from the operations room in Misrata said fighters from the front line in the south of Sirte had looped round to the seafront to capture the port, which lies about 5 km (3 miles) east of the city centre. 
 
The brigades have advanced more swiftly than many expected, though their progress has been hampered by suicide bombers, mines and snipers. 
 
Clashes in Sirte on Friday left 11 brigade members dead and 35 wounded, the operations room source said. More than 100 fighters from the GNA-backed brigades have been killed and more than 500 wounded since the campaign to recapture Sirte began in early May. 
 
The Islamic State started expanding into Libya in 2014 as the political turmoil and conflict in the country worsened. It took full control of Sirte last year, but has struggled to retain territory or win support elsewhere in Libya. 
 
As the brigades based in Misrata have advanced on Sirte from the west, a separate force that controls some of Libya&#39;s key oil terminals and is also aligned with the GNA has pushed Islamic State back from the east.&nbsp;

Over 100 government fighters have been killed and more than 500 injured since the campaign to recapture the city began in early May

Forces aligned with Libya's unity government said they had taken control of the port of Sirte, making further gains in Islamic State's North African stronghold. Brigades, largely composed of fighters from Misrata, advanced this week to the perimeter of Sirte's city centre after launching a counter attack against the Islamic State last month and driving the militant group back along the coastal road between the two cities. The brigades are part of an operation supported by Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which arrived in Tripoli in March and has been gradually working to establish its authority. Western powers see it as the best bet for trying to unite Libya's political and armed factions against the Islamic State and for restoring some stability in the oil-rich North African country. A source from the operations room in Misrata said fighters from the front line in the south of Sirte had looped round to the seafront to capture the port, which lies about 5 km (3 miles) east of the city centre. The brigades have advanced more swiftly than many expected, though their progress has been hampered by suicide bombers, mines and snipers. Clashes in Sirte on Friday left 11 brigade members dead and 35 wounded, the operations room source said. More than 100 fighters from the GNA-backed brigades have been killed and more than 500 wounded since the campaign to recapture Sirte began in early May. The Islamic State started expanding into Libya in 2014 as the political turmoil and conflict in the country worsened. It took full control of Sirte last year, but has struggled to retain territory or win support elsewhere in Libya. As the brigades based in Misrata have advanced on Sirte from the west, a separate force that controls some of Libya's key oil terminals and is also aligned with the GNA has pushed Islamic State back from the east.

Libyan forces claim Sirte port from Islamic State

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