Suicide attack kills 6 in Libya's Sirte

A suicide bomb hit Libya's central city of Sirte on Wednesday, killing six militants and wounding 12 others, according to security sources.

The attackers blew himself up in front of a power station and killed six fighters at the nearby checkpoint, spokesman for the militant group Battalion 166 Khaled Abu Jaiz told Xinhua.

He added that their fighters have been recently attempting to wipe out the Islamic State affiliates from the city.

"The terrorists caught us by surprise and they did not confront us directly. We will end this situation soon by launching massive offensive to eliminate the entrenched terrorists among the population." Jaiz said.

Ibn Sina Hospital in Sirte also confirmed that they have received six bodies and another 12 injured, two of them in critical condition.

Libya, a major oil producer in North Africa, has been witnessing a frayed political process after its former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled during the 2011 political turmoil.

The country is now deadlocked in a dogfight between the pro-secular army and Islamist militants. The protracted conflict in Libya has caused a security vacuum for homegrown extremism to brew.

Some Islamic State affiliates have taken the chance and seized cities like Sirte and Derna. Endit