US says airstrike against IS in Libya kills 7

CAIRO – The U.S. military says it has carried out an airstrike against the Islamic State group in Libya, the latest in a series of airstrikes by the U.S. in the North African country over the past ten days.

Monday’s statement by U.S. Africa Command says seven militants were killed in the strike, launched a day earlier in southwest Libya.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Gayler, director of operations at the command, says the airstrike aimed at “disrupting the terrorists’ planning, training, and activities.”

This is the fourth the U.S. airstrike in Libya since Sep. 19. The spike came after more than a year hiatus. The airstrikes killed at least 43 militants.

Islamic extremists expanded their reach in Libya amid the chaos following the 2011 uprising, which killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.