CAIRO (AP) - The US military says it has carried out an airstrike against the Islamic State group in Libya, the third US airstrike in the North African country in a little over a week.

These US airstrikes over the last eight days are the first in Libya in over a year.

US Africa Command released a statement on Friday (Sept 27) saying 17 militants were killed in the strike, launched a day earlier in southwest Libya.

US Navy Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, director of intelligence at the command, vowed to continue pursuing IS militants and deny them "safe haven to coordinate and plan operations" in Libya.

Islamic extremists expanded their reach in Libya amid the chaos following the 2011 uprising, which killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.