Libya gov't confirms eight soldiers killed in IS attack

At least eight Libyan army soldiers were killed and six others injured on Monday in the eastern city of Benghazi when the Islamic State (IS) affiliate attacked an army check point, Libya's internationally recognized government confirmed on Tuesday.

A military source said the IS militants on Monday attacked an army site in Nowagia gate, about eight km southeast of Benghazi, in an attempt to enter the area.

"Libya's interim government mourns the eight soldiers who gave their lives for the sake of the country and extends its sincere condolences to their families," the internationally recognized government said in a statement.

The IS affiliate on Tuesday said in Twitter and Facebook accounts that "the caliphate battles continued in Nowagia area, where two sites of the soldiers of the tyrant have been attacked. All of them were killed and two tanks and two military vehicles were destroyed."

The Libyan army, led by retired Major General Khalifa Haftar, has been engaged in a war against extremist groups for over a year in the city of Benghazi, the birthplace of the 2011 turmoil in which former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled.

Libya has slipped into a state of anarchy and insecurity since Gaddaif's fall in 2011. The North African country is plagued with continuous clashes and escalating violence. Endit