2 Turks freed from Daesh captivity in Libya’s Sirte

By Seif al-Trabulsi

TRIPOLI (AA) – Libyan government forces have freed two Turkish nationals held by Daesh militants in the northern city of Sirte, according to a local military official.

“The two Turks are now in a safe place in Sirte under the protection of government forces,” Ibrahim Beit al-Mal, the head of the Misrata Military Council, told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

He said Libyan authorities were in contact with the Turkish consulate in Misrata, to the east of the capital Tripoli, to hand over the two nationals, declining to disclose their names.

On Saturday, government forces said they have freed 13 foreign hostages in Sirte, including a Turkish national.

Forces aligned with the UN-backed unity government have been battling Daesh militants in Sirte for months now in an effort to recapture the city, which was overrun by the terrorist group in 2015.

Libya has remained in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a bloody uprising ended with the ouster and death of longtime strongman Muammar Gaddafi.