News / North Africa

Daesh militant commander captured in northwestern Libya

Friday, 26 February 2016 1:29 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 26 February 2016 3:20 AM ]

This file photo shows an armed Daesh motorcade in the port city of Derna, northeastern Libya. ©Reuters

A local commander of the Daesh Takfiri militant group and two of his aides have been arrested near the Libyan capital city of Tripoli amid ongoing skirmishes between the extremists and militants loyal to the unrecognized Tripoli-based government.

The Daesh commander, identified as Mohammed Sa'ad al-Tajuri but better known by the nom de guerre, Abu Suleiman, was captured in the city of Sabratha, located 70 kilometers (45 miles) west of the capital, on Thursday.

There were no immediate reports about the nationality of the detained Daesh commander and those of his two aides.

Also on Thursday, clashes broke out in two areas west of Sabratha between Daesh Takfiris and forces loyal to the Tripoli government. The heavy exchange of gunfire came only a day after Daesh terrorists were driven out of Sabratha by militiamen after briefly capturing the city and killing 18 people there.

The United Nations says all sides to the conflict in Libya have committed acts that amount to war crimes as well as other rights abuses over the past two years.

Fighters loyal to Libya's internationally-recognized government celebrate in the streets of Benghazi after retaking areas of the northeastern coastal city from the Daesh Takfiri militants, February 23, 2016. ©AFP

On Thursday, a UN human rights investigation team cited evidence of executions of captives, assassinations of prominent female activists, widespread torture, sexual crimes, abductions, indiscriminate military attacks on civilian areas, and abuse of children in Libya between 2014 and 2015.

Libya has been struggling with instability since 2011, when the country’s then dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown and armed groups as well as regional factions engaged in a conflict.

Tripoli, is controlled by a political faction, which is calling itself Libya Dawn and is allied with powerful armed forces based in the city of Misrata. The faction has reinstated the old parliament, known as the General National Congress in the capital.

The internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni is based in the northeastern city of Bayda, with its elected House of Representatives in Tobruk.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk