The airstrike was consistent with domestic and international law, and Libyan government officials were advised of the attack ahead of time, he noted.
“We took this action against Sabir and the training camp after determining that both he and ISIL fighters were planning external attacks on U.S. and other Western interests in the region,” the press secretary said.
“At this point, we feel good that both were taken out in this strike,” he said, adding that while the number of deaths is yet to be determined, a significant number of ISIL fighters were there at the time.
‘Ill Intent’ Detected
“We watched this fairly new facility [during] a few weeks, and we were able to strike before it became an even more significant threat,” he said, explaining that Sabir and the camp had shown “ill intent” toward the United States.
The airstrike is evidence the United States is doing everything possible to make sure ISIL does not have the ability to strike the U.S. homeland, Cook told reporters.