As he's done several times since last summer, Barack Obama, in one of his final acts as president this week, ordered a bombing raid against Islamic State (IS) militants "in conjunction" with Tripoli's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

The raid on militants who were fleeing the former IS stronghold of Sirte reportedly killed more than 80 fighters and sent a clear message on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration that the Pentagon is fully committed to the fight against the terrorist group. Just as significantly, the Pentagon's statement highlighting the GNA's role reminded the incoming administration that the United States has a Libyan partner in that fight.

"The whole point is to demonstrate that the GNA is the one that we support in their effort to rid the country of [IS]," Ben Fishman, who served as director for North Africa in Obama's National Security Council, told Al-Monitor. "It's clearly a demonstration that this is the current administration's policy and has been consistently over the past couple of years."

That message is seen as particularly relevant after Trump officially took power Jan. 20. The billionaire businessman and his lieutenants raged against "radical Islam" and championed counterterrorism over nation-building throughout the campaign, leaving Libya watchers fretful that he may abandon the Islamist-tinged GNA in favor of Khalifa Hifter, the anti-Islamist strongman who commands the Libyan National Army formed of rebels against Moammar Gadhafi, regime defectors and allied militias.