Libya: 4 soldiers killed in new battle with Islamist fighters in Benghazi
Four Libyan soldiers were killed and six wounded in fresh fighting with Islamist groups in the eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday, medics and military officials said.
Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognised government have been fighting Islamist groups in the country’s second-largest city Benghazi since last year, part of a wider struggle since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011.
A tank battalion fought with Islamist brigades which had been trying to advance in the west of Benghazi, military officials said. Fighting raged until late in the evening.
Army forces backed by armed residents have regained some areas in Benghazi lost last year. But critics say their outdated war planes and helicopters lacking precision guns have damaged parts of the city without gaining much on the ground.