(Photo: Romeo Ranoco, Reuters/Pool/AP)WASHINGTON — The military conducted two strikes against Islamic State and al-Qaeda terrorist targets in the waning hours of the Obama administration, the Pentagon announced Thursday. The attacks on Wednesday night killed more than 80 militants from the Islamic State, or ISIL, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters. The militants had been forced from the coastal city of Sirte, and some had been engaged in plotting attacks in Europe, Carter said. His death deprives al-Qaeda of a veteran leader with experience mounting attacks abroad, Cook said. At the Pentagon, Cook showed reporters high-quality video footage, taken from spy aircraft, that showed militants moving rocket-propelled grenades and other munitions from pickup trucks.

Source: Libya Today January 19, 2017 21:26 UTC