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Gallery|ISIL/ISIS

Fierce fighting rages in Libya

Since last year, the Libyan city of Sirte has become ISIL’s most important base outside Syria and Iraq.

Libya Frontlines
A Libyan soldier prays in front of his sniper rifle during a battle with ISIL fighters in Sirte. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]
Published On 26 Jul 2016

The Libyan National Army has been carrying out air strikes on areas of Benghazi under the control of the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, including the city’s Ganfouda district.

The strikes have endangered the lives of scores of detainees who are being held captive in Benghazi, according to Amnesty International.

On the weekend, Libyan forces also said that they had edged further into the centre of Sirte, seeking to recapture the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS). Their advance came after heavy fighting the previous night, which killed dozens of people.

Since last year, Sirte has become ISIL’s most important base outside Syria and Iraq, and its loss would be a major setback for the group.

Libya Frontlines
Since the campaign to reclaim Sirte began in May, hundreds of Libyan soldiers have been killed or injured. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]
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Libyan soldiers play table football during a quiet time at the frontline in western Sirte. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]
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Nearly 50 ISIL fighters were killed during heavy clashes last week, according the Libyan army. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]
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Libyan officials have estimated that there are still several hundred ISIL fighters in Sirte, including highly trained snipers who have inflicted heavy casualties on the Misrata-led forces, some of whom have come out to the frontlines dressed in flip-flops or jeans. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]
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Demonstrators recently protested against French military intervention in Libya, at Martyrs' Square in Tripoli. [Ismail Zitouny/Reuters]
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French special forces, in conjunction with Britain and the United States, have been advising forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]
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A man walks past the wreckage of a vehicle after clashes between forces loyal to Haftar and the Benghazi Defence Brigades. [Reuters]
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Scores of people turned out for the protest at Martyrs' Square. [Ismail Zitouny/Reuters]
Libya Frontlines
Since 2014, ISIL has taken advantage of Libya's political turmoil to establish a presence in several towns and cities. [Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]