May–December 2016
ISIS exploited Libya's chaos to seize Gaddafi's birthplace of Sirte in 2015, declaring it the capital of their Libyan 'province' and attracting thousands of foreign fighters. GNA-aligned Misrata militias launched a ground campaign in May 2016, street by street, while the United States conducted over 495 airstrikes in support — the Obama administration's most sustained military action in Libya. By December, ISIS was destroyed as a territorial force in Libya, though scattered cells remained. The battle demonstrated that the GNA and US could cooperate effectively against a common enemy.
Commanders