Libyan Official: «70 Percent» of Last Daesh Bastion Liberated

Local Editor

A Libyan official says US-backed forces in Libya have liberated "70 percent" of the city of Sirte, Daesh's [Arabic acronym sor "ISIS" / "ISIL"] last bastion in the North African country.

The Libyan fighters, mainly from the western city of Misrata, captured Wednesday the city's sprawling convention center known as Ouagadougou, which Daesh had turned into its headquarters.

Daesh militants seized Sirte, the hometown of Libya's former dictator Moammar Gadhafi, in 2015 and Libyan pro-government forces launched an operation to retake it in June.

After an initial push into Sirte, the advance stalled. The city's coastline and a former Gadhafi convention center proved the biggest challenge because of Daesh snipers positioned on rooftops, roadside bombs planted along the streets and Daesh suicide bombers.

Upon the Tripoli government's request, US warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes targeting Daesh positions in Sirte starting Aug. 1, breaking the stalemate.

"The international support has made a big difference" in the battle against Daesh in Sirte, Khalifa said.

Then on Wednesday, the Libyan fighters, mainly from the western city of Misrata, captured the sprawling convention center known as Ouagadougou, which Daesh had turned into its headquarters. The forces had earlier taken the main hospital named Ibn Sina, and the city's university.

Photographs posted on social media of the operation in Sirte show Libyan fighters in mismatched uniforms flashing the "V'' sign for victory from atop of a tank. Others showed the outside gates of the convention center.

Libya descended into chaos following Gadhafi's ouster in 2011. The country has been split between rival parliaments and governments, based in Tripoli and the country's Far East, each backed by an array of militias and tribes.

In December last year, the United Nations struck a deal with Libya's rival factions to create the unity government led by Fayez Serraj. He still needs a crucial vote of confidence from the internationally-recognized parliament, based in eastern Libya.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team