American Special Operations troops have, for the first time, started directly supporting Libyan forces battling the Islamic State (IS) group in their key stronghold of Sirte, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
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“Sirte is 70 percent free, it will soon be completely free”, Khalifa said.
The general estimate of the numbers of IS militants remaining in Sirte is in the hundreds, he added. Most of the casualties were caused by sniper fire and a suicide bombing, in which the bomber rammed a auto into the Libyan fighters’ lines, he said.
Meanwhile, the GNA forces said they lost one of their planes during the operation on Wednesday.
Anthony Cordesman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, cautioned that the immediate impact of the gains was likely to be limited – and that the advances could quickly be reversed if Islamic State loyalists weren’t converted or killed, or if basic government services weren’t restored soon.
A government fighter jet crashed Wednesday while conducting airstrikes against positions in Sirte held by the Daesh terrorist group, Mohamed al-Ghasri, a spokesman for the Libyan government’s anti-Daesh operations, told Anadolu Agency Wednesday. Their advance slowed as they approached its centre, and the forces, led by brigades from the city of Misrata, have suffered heavy casualties from Islamic State landmines and snipers.
Fighters from the pro-government forces loyal to Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNA) walk on August 3, 2016 in Sirte during an operation against Daesh.
The increased U.S. air campaign underscores the stakes in a battle against a group that has vowed to strike the West and has attracted recruits from across Africa and the Middle East.
The fighters said that they had seized control of the sprawling convention center that was used as Islamic State’s headquarters in the coastal city.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that U.S. commandos were working from a joint operations centre on the outskirts of Sirte, the first time they have directly supported Libyan forces in the anti-Daesh fight.
It said they had seized a hotel near the city’s port and were clearing a complex of luxurious villas used for hosting dignitaries in the Gadhafi era.
An expanded on-the-ground role for Western nations follows the Obama administrations decision earlier this month to begin regular airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Sirte, the groups de facto capital in North Africa, the Post wrote.
The fighters took down the black IS banners from atop the convention center, replacing it with the Libyan tricolor flag, Eissa said.
The center had underground bunkers and fortifications dating from the era of Moammar Gadhafi, the longtime leader of Libya overthrown almost five years ago.
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It could also boost the fortunes of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).
