The U.S. military said Sunday it was evaluating whether an airstrike in Libya killed al-Qaida-linked militant leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar.
Libya's internationally recognized government said the strike happened Saturday in the eastern part of the country and did kill Belmokhtar. In a statement late Sunday, the U.S. Defense Department did not confirm Belmokhtar's death, but spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said officials believed the airstrike was successful.
"I can confirm that the target of last night's counterterrorism strike in Libya was Mokhtar Belmokhtar," Warren said. "The strike was carried out by U.S. aircraft.
We are continuing to assess the results of the operation and will provide more details as appropriate." The U.S. State Department had posted a $5 million reward for Belmokhtar, leader of a group calling itself the Signed in Blood Battalion.
U.S. officials accuse him of leading a 2013 terrorist attack on a gas facility in Algeria that killed 37 people, including three Americans.
Libya has been in a state of political chaos since a NATO-backed uprising pushed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi from power in 2011.
Militants and militias have exploited the situation by grabbing territory as an internationally recognized government battles for power with one declared by Islamic militants.
The situation has also prompted tens of thousands of migrants to try to make the dangerous crossing over the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe, with shipwrecks leaving 2,000 people dead the year and the European Union straining to respond.
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