At least 17 people were killed in heavy clashes between ISIS fighters and a rival Islamist group in the ISIS-held city of Sirte in central Libya Thursday, residents said.
Earlier this week, a Salafist Muslim group and armed residents attacked ISIS fighters in Sirte, located about 500 km east of the capital Tripoli, accusing them of killing a prominent preacher in Sirte.
Around 15 local fighters and two ISIS commanders were killed, residents said. The battle was concentrated in one district where locals had surrounded ISIS fighters holed up in buildings, they said.