Daesh loses Libya bastion in major blow to extremists

TRIPOLI — Forces loyal to Libya’s UN-backed government said on Monday they had seized full control of Sirte from Daesh, in a major blow to the extremists who fought for months to retain their bastion.

The battle for the coastal city, which was the last significant territory held by Daesh in Libya, cost the lives of hundreds of loyalist troops and an unknown number of Daesh fighters. 

The offensive was backed by a US bombing campaign launched in August, which as of December 1 had seen American warplanes, drones and helicopters carry out 470 strikes.

“Our forces have total control of Sirte,” Reda Issa, a spokesman for pro-government forces, told AFP. “Our forces saw Daesh totally collapse.”

 “Our forces are combing the last pockets and carrying out a major operation to trap those trying to flee,” said the spokesman, adding that around 30 extremists had surrendered.

Issa said a public announcement of “the liberation of Sirte” would follow within hours “once the last extremist has been wiped out”.

Forces allied with the country’s unity government began the offensive to retake Sirte on May 12, quickly seizing large areas of the city and cornering the extremists.

But Daesh put up fierce resistance with suicide car bombings, snipers and improvised explosive devices.

“Daesh has totally collapsed and dozens of them have given themselves up to our forces,” said a statement on the loyalist forces’ official Facebook page.

Major setback 

The capture of Sirte boosts the authority of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which was launched in Tripoli in March but whose legitimacy is contested by a rival administration based in eastern Libya.

The country descended into chaos following the NATO-backed ousting of longtime dictator Muammar Qadhafi in 2011, with rival administrations emerging and well-armed militias vying for control of its vast oil wealth.

The infighting and lawlessness allowed extremist groups such as Daesh to seize several coastal regions, giving the extremists a toehold on Europe’s doorstep.

The fall of Sirte — Qadhafi’s home town located 450 kilometres east of Tripoli — is a major setback for Daesh, which has also faced a series of military defeats in Syria and Iraq.

Iraqi forces are advancing on the Daesh stronghold of Mosul, while a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance last month launched an offensive to retake Raqa, the Syrian capital of the “caliphate” the extremists proclaimed in 2014.

“Losing it [Sirte] could cause a momentary loss of traction, but a lot will depend on what happens in Syria and Iraq and whether the ungoverned spaces in Libya will remain such,” said Mattia Toaldo, a Libya expert with the European Council of Foreign Relations.

Toaldo said Daesh’s failure to hold Sirte was due in part to its lack of resources in Libya.

“They didn’t manage to seize any considerable source of revenue,” he said. “What they found in the banks in Sirte was not comparable to what they found in Mosul, nor was there an equivalent weapons stockpile.”

 ‘Last stand’ 

The fight for Sirte took far longer than originally planned, but signs emerged in recent days that Daesh was about to capitulate.

The Pentagon last week said that Daesh holdouts were staging a “last stand” in their former stronghold.

And pro-GNA forces on Sunday said they had detained several extremists trying to swim to safety.

Almost seven months of fighting have left nearly 700 GNA fighters dead and 3,000 wounded.

Issa said in November that the final assault was held up mainly because it would “result in very intense street fighting and Daesh is determined to defend its positions right down to the last square metre”.

Claudia Gazzini, an analyst with the International Crisis Group think tank, said extremists who escaped from Sirte had probably moved south to Sebha, closer to Libya’s borders with Algeria and Niger.

Others from the group are believed to be operating in second city Benghazi and possibly in and around Tripoli.