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The US fighter jets have continued airstrikes inside Libya even after NATO took over the command of coalition to enforce the UN mandated no-fly- zone over this North African country, Pentagon has said.
F-16CJs fighting Falcons and E/A-18G Growlers have flown 97 sorties to suppress enemy air defenses, Pentagon spokesman, Colonel Dave Lapan, told presspersons at an off-camera news conference, making it clear that the American military has not withdrawn after the change in command.
Colonel Lapan said since April 4, when NATO took over command of the Libyan military operation from the US, 11 American aircraft including six F-16CJs Falcons and five E/A-18G Growlers have been in action.
“Of these, only three (April 4, 6, and 7) resulted in the expenditure of ordnance on enemy air defense targets. Two of those were mobile targets,” he said.
“We do not characterise those as strikes because SEAD is considered a defensive, vice offensive, mission,” he said.
The US has been flying SEAD missions since the beginning of this operation on 19 March.
“The mission we’ve been assigned is to provide supporting capabilities to NATO. That’s exactly what we are doing with respect to the suppression of enemy air defenses.
It is a purely defensive mission,” he said, refusing to describe it as air strikes, despite aggressive questioning from Pentagon reporters.
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