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Senior IS leader killed in clashes with gov't forces in Libya

Xinhua, June 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

A senior Islamic State (IS) leader was killed on Thursday in clashes with the Libyan government's presidential guards in Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli, according to local media sources.

Hamid Maluqa Al-Zlitni was also known as "the prince of Zakat (finance)" of IS in Sirte.

The government forces also captured five IS fighters on Thursday following the violent clashes.

The presidential guards, a force formed by the UN-backed government, announced on Wednesday that it took over parts of the IS-dominated Sirte after violent battles that killed and injured dozens of both sides.

The clashes that started in May between the government troops and IS members killed over 200 and injured more than 300 from both sides.

Sirte, the hometown of former leader Muammar Gaddafi who was toppled in an uprising in 2011, has been in IS hands for over a year.

The presidential guards service is an attempt by the Libyan unity government to fight against the increased dominance of IS. Endit