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Forces aligned with Libya’s U.N.-backed government fought fierce exchanges with Islamic State militants in Sirte on Thursday in which 13 of their fighters were killed and more than 110 wounded, officials said.
The government-backed forces have pinned militants back to a small area in the centre of the coastal city after advancing on the Islamic State stronghold in May.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an explosion during a protest in Afghanistan, which killed at least 80 people and left at least 260 more injured.
CNN reports that the death toll in the capital city of Kabul has reached 80 people as the Islamic State claims three suicide bombers carried out the attack in the crowd of protestors.
A Kurdish member of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Manbij. Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP
After a brief break in fighting in Manbij, clashes resumed Friday morning between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Islamic State (ISIS) militants, killing at least eight ISIS members.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the clashes as “violent between both parties inside Manbij city, accompanied by shelling exchange between both parties.”
Yemen government forces launched on Thursday a major military offensive to wrest the strategic Haradh city from Al Houthis in the northern province of Hajja near the border with Saudi Arabia.
The official page of the 5th Military Region on Facebook announced the offensive against the Iran-backed rebels and posted photos of the region’s commander, Major-General Ali Hamed Al Gushibi, inspecting the front-lines and soldiers firing heavy machines at Al Houthis positions.
Heavy fighting ensued late Thursday afternoon in Kidal, northern Mali between armed pro-government forces and former rebels mainly Tuareg living together in the town since February.
The clashes were between members of the High Council for Unity of Azawad (HCUA), a coalition of former Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali and Gatia allies, a coalition supporting armed movements in Bamako, a source explained to AFP.