(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
The Government of National Accord’s (GNA) military operation against ISIS forces in the region between Misrata and Sirte announced on Friday that their troops were advancing towards Abu Grein after a surprise suicide attack at the Sadada checkpoint Wednesday night.
The Libyan Army, which has established an information centre on Facebook with updates on its military operation called “Albinyan Almarsos,” reported that on Friday their troops were approaching the Abu Grein checkpoint with caution after having defended their post at Al-Sadada against a surprise ISIS suicide car bombing, which left four soldiers dead and over 30 injured.
Al-Sadada is located 50 kilometers west of Abu Grain which was overrun by ISIS forces last week, prompting the Libyan government to establish a military campaign against the terrorist group.
In addition, The Libyan Army stated that after prevailing against ISIS forces at Al-Sadada, which is 80km from their operation base in Misrata, their wounded soldiers were transported to Italy via an Italian military plane for medical treatment.
The terrorist group’s attack on Abu Grein marks their most recent attempts to advance into territory controlled by the unity government and has resulted in hundreds of families fleeing the town in fear of their brutal rule.
The extremist group is estimated to have over 5,000 fighters in Libya, and with its port and airport, western powers fear that ISIS militants could launch attacks into Europe from their base in Sirte.