Libyans return to former IS stronghold of Sirte

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Return

Tripoli, Feb. 5, 2017 (dpa/NAN) Libyan civilians displaced by fighting began their return to their homes in the Mediterranean coastal city of Sirte on Sunday, a local official said.

The civilians began to return home two months after the Islamic State extremist militia was driven out, dpa reported.

The UN-backed Libyan Government announced in December it was retaking full control of Sirte, the hometown of slain Moamer Gaddafi, after a military campaign of nearly eight months against Islamic State militants.

Following Gaddafi’s toppling in a 2013 revolt, Libya descended into chaos, leaving a void for rebels and extremists to establish a foothold in the country.

Some 105,000 inhabitants lived in Sirte before Islamic State militants seized it in 2015, according to Libyan media.

The city, located about 450 kilometres east of Tripoli, is strategically important because it links Libya’s east and west.

“The complete return of Sirte people hinges on clearing the city from all mines planted by the Islamic State organisation,” Ahmed Abu Shahma, the city’s military governor, said.

“A military engineering division is now undertaking this operation,” he told dpa.

“There are several districts in the centre of the city that are not secured yet,” he added.

Shahma did not provide figures on how many residents were to be returned or how long the repatriation process would take.

In May last year, pro-government forces started an onslaught to dislodge Islamic State from Sirte.

In August, the United States started airstrikes against the militants in the Mediterranean city.

Abu Shahma said there are still Islamic State remnants in the city’s southern section.

The oil-rich country remains deeply divided, with the UN-backed government based in the capital Tripoli unable to gain recognition from the elected parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola/Abdullahi Yusuf