Libya Unity Forces Prepare ’Decisive’ Assault in Daesh Bastion

Local Editor

Libya pro-government forces backed by US air strikes said Sunday they would soon launch a final assault to retake the coastal city of Sirte from Daesh [the Arabic acronym for the terrorist "ISIS" group.]

"The countdown of the final stage of the military operations against Daesh has started," forces loyal to the Tripoli-based national unity government said in a statement.

"The operation's leaders held intensive meetings to prepare for the final and decisive battles to eradicate the Daesh gang from the city of Sirte", the statement added.

Fighters allied to the UN-backed Government of National Accord [GNA] waged a fierce weeks-long battle to retake the city some 450 kilometers east of Tripoli.

Pro-GNA forces launched the campaign in May and entered the city in June, but their progress slowed down as the terrorists hit back with sniper fire, suicide attacks and car bombings.

Since Thursday pro-government forces have sought to reach Daesh headquarters at the Ouagadougou conference center inside the town.

Meanwhile, more than 300 people have been killed and 1,800 wounded in the operation for Sirte, according to medical sources in the city of Misrata, where the operation's command center in based.

Daesh took advantage of the chaos that followed the 2011 toppling of longtime strongman Muammar Gadhafi to gain a foothold in the oil-rich North African country.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team