(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
The Libyan forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) shared photos on their media centre of a school reopening in the Sawawa district in northern Sirte.
The photos showed students in their classrooms and also showed students holding up two fingers representing V for victory as they were leaving school. The photos were taken on the first day back at Hay Al-Andalus School.
According to an official from Sirte’s Education Services Bureau, a sense of normalcy has been slowly returning to areas in Sirte free from ISIS control. Schools are beginning to reopen across Sirte’s suburbs in the west, east and south. Residents of Sirte had to wait for the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous forces to clear areas of land mines, weapons and other explosives.
The Sawawa district was liberated by the Libyan brigades on June 10 after they engaged in intense battles with ISIS fighters.
ISIS moved into Sirte, which had a population of 80,000, in 2015 and managed to establish a stronghold in the coastal city. ISIS had aims to expand its rule across Libya and eventually to Europe.
The terrorist group was able to make its way into Sirte after Libya fell into political chaos following the 2011 uprising that brought down the Gaddafi regime.
