Pentagon seeks $200 million for operations in Libya, Africa

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is seeking $200 million in the 2017 budget for counterterrorism operations in Libya and other portions of North and West Africa, but Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday that Libyans must take the lead in eliminating the Islamic State threat in their country.

The new funding provides the first concrete indication of what the U. S. military may do to battle the threat, including expanded drone and surveillance flights, strikes and other operations. And it is the first time the Pentagon has included a separate increase for operations against the Islamic State in Africa.

There were no details on how the money would be spent. The $ 200 million is part of an overall increase in the department’s war funding, including the ongoing effort in Afghanistan, and the airstrikes and training in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State. The war funding request is $ 58.8 billion for 2017, compared to $58.6 billion this year.

The $ 200 million is likely to cover increased drone operations over Africa, as the military struggles to provide realtime intelligence through 24- hour unmanned aircraft patrols in the coming years. And the budget increase will build on discussions U. S. officials are having now on plans to beef up counterterrorism operations in Libya in the coming weeks and months.