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Africa North
Libyan forces push into last ISIS area in Sirte
2016-10-11
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Libyan pro-government forces are advancing into the last area controlled by ISIS in the coastal city of Sirte, surrounding the snuffies after a five-month campaign backed by US air strikes, military officials say.

At least eight pro-government fighters were killed over the weekend as their forces pushed into the 600 block, an area in central Sirte, with snipers and boobytraps posing the main obstacles to their advance, the officials said.

A Rooters news hound on the ground said forces advanced across two streets on Sunday, but were facing resistance and discovering bombs in many buildings.

ISIS took over Sirte a year ago, exploiting the chaos and violence that have dogged Libya since the overthrow of leader Muammar Qadaffy
...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland and was then murdered by his indignant subjects 42 years later...
in 2011 in order to carve out a new base, far from its main territory in Iraq and Syria.

Losing the city would be a major blow to the group, but officials believe some of its fighters and commanders escaped before Sirte was surrounded, and may continue to wage guerrilla-style attacks even after it falls.

The advance is being led by the Bonyan Marsous forces, mainly fighters from the city of Misrata, who are supporting a United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
-backed unity government in Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
that is trying to bring together rival factions.

"The forces of Bonyan Marsous made some advances and completely trapped the 600 block area in Sirte," Misrata forces media official Ali Almabrouk said.

Mohammed Ghasri, a front man for pro-government forces, said two female snuffies had escaped with their three children and surrendered. They told Misrata forces they did not want to be used in suicide kabooms, Ghasri said.

The fall of a major city to one of the country’s most powerful factions is rekindling tensions with rival brigades in the east, led by Khalifa Haftar
... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
, who has rejected the authority of the UN-backed government in Tripoli.

In a major advance, Haftar has taken control of eastern oil ports and his troops have advanced close to Sirte. Many in the west of Libya believe Haftar is planning to establish himself as a military strongman like Qadaffy. His backers in the east see him as the only one who has fought for their interests, especially against Islamist bad boys.

Posted by:Fred

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