(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
266 bodies have been discovered in Sirte on Tuesday after the Libyan forces took over the Libyan coastal city from ISIS.
230 of the dead were ISIS fighters and 36 others among them were women and children, according to the Libyan Red Crescent who worked with the Misrata’s Crime Department to recover the bodies.
The victory that the Libyan forces have had in Sirte has saved the lives of over 100 women and children who were trapped in the Al-Giza Al-Bahriya district in Sirte.
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.
The Libyan forces launched their offensive on ISIS in May and received military assistance in the form of a military airstrike from the US that began in August.
The victory of the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous forces came at a great price. About 700 Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous soldiers died and and nearly 3000 were injured in battles with ISIS, said a medical source.