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| Africa North |
| Heavy fighting in Nufaliya as Misratans bomb IS |
| 2015-05-21 |
| [LibyaHerald] Misrata's 166 Brigade this morning launched a new major offensive against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... (IS) forces in Nufaliya, 140 kilometres east of Sirte. Heavy weaponry has been used and, for the first time, the Misratans have bombed IS fighters in the desert town from the air. Brigade 166 is not releasing any statements about the fighting at present and will not do until it is over. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... one member of the brigade is knon to have been killed in the fighting and seven others injured. They have been brought back to hospital in Misrata for treatment. It is reported that four IS fighters were also maimed in the festivities. They are said to have been taken to the Ibn Sina Hospital in Sirte which is fully under IS control. For its part IS says that it has captured the Al-Jalet camp south east of Sirte, previously held by Misratan forces. Nufaliya fell to IS forces in February. A week ago, they used it as a base to attack Harawa, 70 kilometres away -- an attack which saw IS behead two local youths. Residents there had for some time been calling on Misrata to help defend them against the jihadists. Today's operation is seen as a realisation by Misratan military and politicians that the threat posed by IS required urgent, decisive action. Meanwhile yesterday, confident IS forces in Sirte paraded through the town to celebrate the capture by their counterparts in Iraq of the city of Ramadi on Sunday. There were IS celebrations in Derna as well. UPDATE: Nufaliya/Sirte clashes: Brigade 166 pulls back as IS claim victory [LibyaHerald] Misrata's 166 Brigade which this morning launched an operation against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... (IS) forces in Nufaliya is reported to have pulled back from the town to its operations base west of Sirte. "It is holding its base", a Misratan official said. Fighting is said to have been fierce during the day. The Misratans lost two men with another 12 maimed. Brigade sources, however, say it killed "tens" of IS members, including six Algerians and three Tunisians. For its part, IS has claimed that it has seized the brigade's camp south west of the Sirte and another camp also used by Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... forces. It has posted photos of IS equipment it claims it captured during the day in Sirte. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |