{"id":42253,"date":"2019-11-14T15:46:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T15:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/14\/esper-says-us-forces-combating-isis-in-libya-continue-to-mow-the-lawn\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:48:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:48:30","slug":"esper-says-us-forces-combating-isis-in-libya-continue-to-mow-the-lawn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/11\/14\/esper-says-us-forces-combating-isis-in-libya-continue-to-mow-the-lawn\/","title":{"rendered":"Esper says US forces combating ISIS in Libya \u2018continue to mow the lawn\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U.S. airstrikes targeting Islamic State fighters in Libya<\/a> in September knocked out nearly one-third of the group\u2019s fighters, but U.S. officials aren\u2019t sweating over a massive ISIS resurgence in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to reporters Wednesday while traveling to Seoul, South Korea, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said there was nothing that \u201cpops up as necessarily unusual\u201d about ISIS\u2019 presence in Libya <\/a>or the spate of airstrikes that rained down on the jihadi group in September. But Esper said the issue \u201cis a focus of our attention and operations.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esper was responding to a question from a reporter regarding four airstrikes that struck ISIS fighters in southern Libya in September and whether the Pentagon was concerned about a resurgence of the Islamic extremist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We continue \u2014 the phrase that people use is \u201ccontinue to mow the lawn,\u201d Esper said. \u201cAnd that means, every now and then, you have to do these things to stay on top of it so that a threat doesn\u2019t grow, doesn\u2019t resurge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between Sept. 20 and Sept. 30, U.S. air assets conducted four airstrikes killing 43 ISIS fighters with about 100 still remaining, according to a senior U.S. defense official, who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\t