Daesh control over Libya’s Sirte ‘collapsing’: Military

By Ammar al-Khalfi

SIRTE, Libya (AA) – The Daesh terrorist group’s control over Libya’s coastal city of Sirte has "completely broken down", forces loyal to the Libyan unity government’s presidential council -- dubbed "Al-Bunyan al-Marsous" -- announced Monday.

"The terrorists are on the run; dozens have surrendered," Al-Bunyan forces declared on their official Facebook page.

"Our fighters are now dealing with a last group of terrorists holed up in their final stronghold in Sirte’s Al-Jiza al-Bahariya district," they added.

On Monday afternoon, Rida Eisa, an Al-Bunyan al-Marsous spokesman, declared: "Sirte’s liberation from Daesh will be formally announced within hours."

In May, Libya’s UN-backed unity government launched a military campaign -- dubbed "Operation Al-Bunyan al-Marsous" -- aimed at capturing Sirte from the terrorist group, which overran the city last year.

By September, pro-government forces had managed to recapture most of the city, although Daesh militants remained holed up in some districts, including Sirte’s Al-Jiza al-Bahariya neighborhood.