Libya forces ‘free 13 foreigners from IS group’

Tripoli (AFP) – Forces loyal to Libya’s unity government on Saturday freed 13 foreigners held by the Islamic State group in its former coastal bastion of Sirte, the forces said.

Loyalists freed a Turkish and an Egyptian detainee as well as 11 Eritrean women “thought to have been held hostage by Daesh,” they said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Pro-government forces are fighting the last jihadists holed up in Sirte after launching an offensive to retake the city in May.