Libya: 240 unity government fighters die in battle for Sirte

The two-month battle for the Islamic State group’s Libyan stronghold of Sirte has killed more than 240 unity government fighters and wounded over 1 400, a medic said on Tuesday.
Forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord began an operation in May to recapture the coastal city which the ISIS jihadists overran in June last year.
By retaking Sirte, the hometown of late dictator Muammar Gaddhafi, the GNA forces would deal a major blow to ISIS which has faced a series of setbacks in Iraq and Syria.
The command centre of the unity forces for the military operations against ISIS is in Misrata, 200km east of Tripoli.
“The toll of people after two months of fighting is 241 dead and more than 1 400 wounded,” said the medical source in Misrata.
“Some of the soldiers are treated in Libya but others have been transferred abroad…to nearby countries such as Turkey, Tunisia and Italy,” said the source.
The GNA forces have closed in on ISIS in Sirte, in an area measuring just a few square kilometres.