Clashes erupt in central Libya between residents and Islamic State militants

Around 37 people have been killed in clashes between Islamic State fighters and an Islamist group that is challenging the grip of the ultra-hardliners on the city of Sirte in central Libya, residents said.

Libya is in chaos as two governments and parliaments vie for power, while Islamic State and other armed groups exploit a security vacuum four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.

On Wednesday, numerous clashes took place in the former Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte between locals and fighters from the Islamic State which has controlled the town for the past three months.

ISIS has recently been attacking Derna to try to retake the city, which is home to several Islamist factions.

The Islamic State affiliate gained a foothold in Sirte in March, and has fought with rival militant groups and forces loyal to both governments.

“Dozens of people have been killed and wounded”, he said, but was unable to give a breakdown “because of the intensity of the fighting”.

During the closed-door talks which started Tuesday in the United Nations in Geneva, parties expressed their desire to end the dialogue process which will also bring together the different Libyan tracks as soon as possible to instigate the final adoption of the Libyan Political Agreement. The official government’s forces have been also battling Islamists in Benghazi. It said the offensive was being spearheaded by “youths and residents from Sirte and our airforce and revolutionary” fighters.

Meanwhile, the chief of staff of the parallel General National Congress government based in Tripoli issued instructions to prepare military force for an operation to liberate Sirt. The legitimate government, which has had to flee to the east and operate from Tobruk, has little sway elsewhere, with a rival administration setting up shop in the west in Tripoli.