Alwaght- Libyan forces have reached the center of the coastal city of Sirte, ISIS terrorist group's key stronghold in the North African state.
“The armed forces entered Sirte. They are currently in the center, where clashes continue with ISIS,” said Mohamad Ghassri, spokesman for the forces of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).
“The operation will not last much longer. I think we’ll be able to announce the liberation of Sirte in two or three days,” he added.
Although it is still possible that the ISIS retreat is tactical, most observers believe the military offensive has revealed Isis to be far weaker in Libya than many had thought.
Thursday’s assault was mounted from three directions, with some aerial strikes on the Ouagadougou conference hall, considered the administrative hub of ISIS in Libya. By late afternoon the Libyan navy was claiming the city had been fully taken.
Reports indicate that ISIS Takfiri terrorists fleeing Sirte are reportedly cutting of their beards and long hair to blend in with civilians as pro-government forces advance on the city.
Dozens of terrorists have been killed and hundreds wounded in a month of fighting in surrounding the symbolic city, which was the hometown of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi and the scene of his death in the last major battle of the Libyan civil war.
ISIS took advantage of the ensuing chaos to expand into the country, seizing Sirte and 155 miles of surrounding coastline in late 2014 to construct its biggest stronghold outside Syria and Iraq.
