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Gallery|ISIL/ISIS

Libyan forces retake Sirte from ISIL

Strategic port city known as the hometown of Muammar Gaddafi became an ISIL outpost in 2015.

The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
Standing on the barrels of a heavy machinegun, a fighter from Libya's Government of National Accord watches ISIL positions in Sirte. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
By Alessio Romenzi
Published On 5 Dec 20165 Dec 2016
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Sirte, Libya – Members of a militia group loyal to Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) have retaken control of the Libyan coastal city of Sirte from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

On Monday, Reda Issa, a spokesman for pro-government forces using the Arabic acronym for ISIl, said, “Our forces saw Daesh totally collapse”. 

The city, a strategic port for Libya, turned into an ISIL outpost in 2015.

The group took advantage of conflict between various factions of former rebels who emerged as powerbrokers following the death of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Last June, the Misrata-led brigade launched a military operation against ISIL, also known as ISIS, in Sirte. 

Sirte, Gaddafi’s hometown, saw fierce house-to-house fighting by the Misrata-led brigade whose advance into the city was initially slowed down by the presence of snipers and explosives as well as lack of ammunition.

The number of civilians, including women and children, trapped in Sirte during the government advance, is still uncertain.

At the height of ISIL dominance in the city last summer, Western officials talked about the presence of some 6,000 ISIL fighters.

Misrata forces, however, estimate that there are now no more than 2,000.

The latest images from November were taken in the neighbourhood of Al Jiza, where commanders of the Misrata military forces fought against ISIL combatants.

The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
Militia members loyal to Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord continued their offensive against ISIL in the coastal city of Sirte. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
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The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
Fighters loyal to Libya's GNA run for cover from an ISIL car bomb driving in their direction. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
Right after an ISIL car bomb explodes, killing three and injuring 15, a GNA-allied fighter, shocked by the explosion, looks for an ambulance.[Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
The body of an ISIL fighter buried under rubble. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
The battle against ISIL continues in the outskirts of Sirte despite the pro-government militia victory [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
Fighters of the Libyan forces affiliated to the Tripoli government aim at ISIL positions in Al Jiza neighbourhood on the frontline against ISIL in Sirte. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
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The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
A fighter of the Libyan forces affiliated to the Tripoli government is pictured, injured by an ISIL suicide bomber who  killed one of his comrades moments before in the Al Jiza neighbourhood. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
A fighter of the Libyan forces affiliated to the Tripoli government rests during clashes with ISIL. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
Misrata-led brigade fighters are seen on the frontline against ISIL. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
Sirte is the hometown of former Libyan leader Gaddafi where he was also killed. Most parts of the city are now destroyed. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
A fighter affiliated with Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) shouts right after being shot in the leg during clashes with ISIL in the '700 neighbourhood' in Sirte. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle for Sirte/ Please Do Not Use
For two months, Misrata's military forces have been fighting against ISIL in Sirte. They managed to recapture Sirte on Monday. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]


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