Libyan pro-government forces fighting Islamic State (IS) in Sirte have freed 11 Eritrean woman captives, a Turk and an Egyptian after a battle to recapture a part of the city held by Islamic State (IS), a spokesman for the forces said on Saturday.
After a six-month campaign of street-by-street fighting backed by U.S. air strikes, Libyan forces have taken back most of Sirte, where Islamic State is holding out with snipers, boobytraps and car bombs.
Sirte fell to Islamic State more than a year ago after militants expanded their territory and took advantage of infighting that emerged among Libya’s rival factions following the 2011 fall of Muammar Qadhafi. — Reuters
