About 15 people have been killed and 10 injured in fierce clashes between the forces of the General National Congress (GNC) and the Islamic State (IS) affiliates in Sirte, a city 450 kilometers east of the capital Tripol, a military source said.
The clashes reportedly occurred on Saturday, March 14.
‘The clashes are still going on. The IS insurgents suffered heavy losses,’ General Mohamed al-Ajtal, commander of the joint operations of the GNC forces, told Xinhua.
‘The clashes were heavy in the areas of al-Thahir and Hrawa. Our troops destroyed a number of IS military vehicles, killing 15 and wounding five others,’ a military source of the GNC’s 166 Infantry Battalion said.
The GNC forces, consisting Islamist armed groups, have recently been make efforts to retake Sirte, the city seized by IS affiliates militants.
Following Muammar Gaddafi’s fall 2011, Libya has seen an extreme increase of violence.
The Islamist militants and pro-secular militia have been contending for cities and towns for months, undermining the security of the North African country.
