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IS gunmen warn militias in Libya's Sirte to leave by Sunday

Xinhua, February 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Gunmen loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group have warned Libyan local militias to leave the western city of Sirte by Sunday, local media reported on Saturday.

The fighters also attacked Bahi and Dahra oil fields near the city, Libya Herald said.

Also on Friday, militants took control of two radio stations of Sirte, "Free Voice" and "Radio Mikdashi," airing verses of the Quran and speeches of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the group's spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani.

Warplanes of the Libyan national army have launched several rounds of airstrikes on the IS militants, but the number of casualties was not immediately known, local al-Wasat paper reported.

Libya is now deadlocked in a dogfight between the pro-secular army and Islamist militants. The turmoil makes an ideal hotbed and recruiting ground for terrorism.

On Jan. 27, an IS affiliate in Libya targeted the biggest hotel in the capital Tripoli, killing nine people and injuring dozens.

Earlier in December, armed groups claiming loyalty to IS also set up bases in the eastern city of Derna. Endit