Sirte (Libya) (AFP) – Libyan pro-government forces went back on the offensive Tuesday against last pockets of resistance by fighters of the Islamic State jihadist group in the coastal city of Sirte.
Backed by tanks and mortar fire, pro-government forces advanced inside “District Two” of central Sirte, an AFP photographer reported, after a day of clearing and demining areas of the city captured in earlier clashes.
The assault against IS has been mounted in a west-to-east direction and led by tanks opening the way for infantry.
A commander of the forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA) said loyalists had also taken up positions south of District Two to cut off escape routes.
Loyalist forces launched operations in May to retake the Mediterranean city and home town of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi, which IS seized in June last year.
On June 9, pro-government forces entered Sirte and have since pushed the jihadists from key positions including their headquarters at the Ouagadougou conference centre, a sprawling compound near the city centre.
AFP correspondents who toured the city on Saturday said loyalist forces were pressing their advance, buoyed by US air strikes earlier this month that targeted IS holdouts in the city.
More than 300 pro-government fighters have been killed and 1,800 wounded in the three-month-old battle for Sirte, according to an official casualty toll. The jihadists have not revealed their losses.
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