Libyan forces wary of Islamic State redoubt despite U.S. support
Source: Reuters
A day after the United States began a formal campaign of air strikes against Islamic State's stronghold in Libya, anti-IS fighters welcomed Washington's involvement but remained wary of advancing for fear of mines and snipers.
The initial U.S. strikes on Monday targeted a tank and two vehicles in Sirte, where the ultra-hardline militants are encircled in the heart of what has become an important base for the group beyond its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
Fighters from a range of anti-IS brigades are dug in behind sand banks and concrete walls in the coastal city after suffering high casualties in months of street-by-street fighting.
"If the United States is serious about these air strikes we are very pleased, and it will help us on the ground," said Husam Bakoush, a fighter with the Marsa brigade.
The battle highlights the challenges of driving the Islamic State from Libya, where it has struggled to win local support but exploited the chaos that followed the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-idUSKCN10D1CS
"The country is still deeply divided and a U.N. backed government had hesitated to call for U.S. support until now for fear of a backlash."
Fear of a backlash from whom? ISIS? Libyans in general?
