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U.S. airstrikes killed two captive Serbian embassy staffers in Libya, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic confirmed Friday.
The two staffers had been captured by militants, with Vucic saying the Serbian government was on the verge of securing their release.
He described their deaths as “terrible collateral damage.”
"It is officially confirmed that the two embassy staff were killed in air raids," he said.
A total of 49 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the airstrikes on the city of Sabratha early Friday, according to Libyan officials.
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The U.S. was reportedly targeting militants allegedly linked to the Islamic State group.
Reuters cited an unnamed U.S. military official saying the target of the strike was Tunisian national Noureddine Chouchane, whom the official claimed was involved in two high-profile Islamic State group attacks in neighboring Tunisia.
The airstrike was the second major U.S. operation in Libya in recent months. In Nov. 2015, the U.S. also carried out airstrikes on the town of Derna, reportedly targeting Islamic State group figure Abu Nabil.
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Libya has been in a state of crisis since former leader Moammar Gadhafi was ousted and killed in 2011, with two rival governments and a slew of disparate militant groups vying for control of the country, including fighters claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group.
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