News / North Africa

Daesh terrorists attack Libyan forces in Sirte

Sunday, 12 June 2016 4:18 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 12 June 2016 4:18 PM ]

Libya's pro-government forces fire from a tank in Sirte as they advance to recapture the city from the Takfiri Daesh terrorists, June 10, 2016. ©AFP

The Daesh Takfiri terrorists have targeted Libyan forces with a series of car bombs in the port city of Sirte, killing at least one paramedic.

Brigadier General Mohammed al-Ghasri said Sunday that the terrorists attacked forces loyal to Libya’s unity government with bombs hidden in an ambulance and two other vehicles earlier in the day.

Two of the bomb attacks reportedly hit gatherings of pro-government troops and the third one hit a field hospital.

Ghasri said the attackers “infiltrated our siege” on the main stronghold of Daesh in the North African country and targeted medical units and supply lines.

One paramedic was killed and a number of soldiers were wounded, he said, adding, "They aimed to shake our ranks, to force us to retreat, but we remain steadfast. We are determined to finish the job before the end of the holy month of Ramadan."

He further noted that Daesh terrorists have moved into a populated area in the center of Sirte and their snipers have been taking positions on rooftops to shoot Libyan troops.

Libyan forces gather in Sirte's center as they advance to recapture the city from Daesh on June 10, 2016. ©AFP

Sirte, the major Daesh stronghold outside Iraq and Syria, had fallen into the hands of the Takfiri terrorists in February 2015. The full recapture of the city is a major boost to the Government of National Accord (GNA), which has come to office through support from the United Nations.

The oil-rich North African country has had two rival governments since 2014, when politician Khalifa Ghweil and his self-proclaimed government seized control of the capital, Tripoli, with the support of militia groups, forcing the internationally-recognized government to move to the country’s remote eastern city of Tobruk.

The two governments achieved a consensus on forming a unity government, the GNA, last December, after months of UN-brokered talks in Tunisia and Morocco to restore order to the country.

Daesh has been taking advantage of the chaos embroiling Libya since the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011. The dictator was killed later.

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