Forces aligned with Libya's unity government battled Islamic State on Thursday, June 10 in the militant group's stronghold of Sirte, but faced resistance from snipers as they edged towards the city center, Reuters said.
Brigades mainly composed of fighters from the western city of Misrata have advanced rapidly, driving the militants back along the coastal road west of Sirte before seizing strategic points on the edge of the city.
A separate militia that controls terminals in Libya's oil crescent, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), said it had advanced further from the east to reach the town of Harawa, about 70 km (44 miles) east of Sirte.
If the advances are sustained, they could dislodge IS from its most important base outside the Middle East and provide a boost to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).
Mohamed al-Gasri, a military spokesman based in Misrata, said fighting was underway on Thursday near the Ouagadougou conference hall, where IS holds religious instruction sessions.
"We think that Sirte will be liberated within days, not weeks," Gasri said. "The Daesh (Islamic State) snipers are a concern to us because they shoot from long distances and that has hindered us in the battle inside the city."
The media office for the brigades said in a statement that Libyan air force jets had carried out strikes near the Ouagadougou hall.
The brigades had already claimed control over a number of strategic sites on Sirte's outskirts including an air base, several military camps and a roundabout where IS had previously hung the bodies of executed enemies.
Dozens of brigade members have been killed and hundreds wounded in the past month of fighting. On Wednesday alone, 15 men were killed and 95 injured, a Misrata hospital spokesman said.
The main hospital in Misrata is overflowing and some fighters have been flown to Turkey or Italy for treatment. On Thursday the GNA appealed in a statement for further international medical aid "for our heroes at the front lines".
