Libyan militias, with the United States support, get the control over the headquarters of the Islamic State in Sirte. The spokesman of the loyal to the UN-backed Libyan government told that "the Ouagadougou centre is in our hands”. Sirte, which is situated on the Mediterranean coast is the IS stronghold in Libya. IS controlled Sirte since the February 2015. According to the pro-governmental forces, IS a still control some residential areas in of Sirte. As pro-governmental forces stated, the capturing of Ouagadougou centre was the main objective in the last offensive.
Spokesman Rida Issa stated: “Fighters also took Sirte's Ibn Sina hospital and university campus. At least three fighters were killed and several others wounded”.
Losing Sirte would be a major setback for the militants, already under pressure in Syria and Iraq. It would also be a boost for Libya's United Nations-backed government, which has struggled to impose its authority and faces ongoing resistance from hardline armed factions.
Under the US estimations, IS has less than 1000 fighters in Sirte, but most of them are experienced and veterans of Syria and Iraq fronts.
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