20 Troops Killed in Libya’s Sirte Clashes with Daesh

Local Editor

At least 20 members of forces loyal to the Libyan unity government lost their lives as they engaged in clashes with Daesh [the Arabic acronym for the Takfiri "ISIS" group] terrorists in the northern city of Sirte.

The loyalists to the UN-backed Government of National Accord [GNA] said in a statement that 105 of their troops were also injured in Friday's fighting around the Ouagadougou conference hall complex, which serves as a command headquarters for Daesh militants in Sirte.

Meanwhile, Friday's confrontation was reportedly the fiercest in the coastal city in recent weeks.

Ahmed Hadia, a spokesman for the pro-government soldiers, said the latest skirmishes around Sirte's conference center had been underway for two days, adding, "Our forces entered the complex and are fighting [but] they still cannot take the complex."

Friday's casualties "were a result of targeting by snipers and of mines" by the extremists, Haida said, noting that the militants had further tried unsuccessfully to counter attack with three car bombs.

Meanwhile, Daesh said on Twitter that two of its elements, a Libyan and an Egyptian, carried out bombings in southern Sirte targeting government forces.

Libyan forces launched a military operation in May to retake Sirte, which fell to Daesh in last year. They managed to enter the city on June 9 and, since then, they have liberated a number of residential districts.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team