9 killed, 6 wounded in eastern Libya clashes

Three members of Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade, belonging to Mujahedi Derna Shura Council, were killed and six others were wounded in an attack by the so-called Daesh (IS) elements in the eastern Libyan city of Derna on Thursday night, according to a military source.

Abu Salim martyrs brigade responded to the attack, near al Heila gate in Derna valley, killing six IS fighters, and clashes continued, according to the source.

The IS has benefited from Libya's anarchy. Two rival governments are fighting each other and unable to gain the upper hand while former rebel groups that helped topple late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 compete for power, creating a security vacuum.

But IS was driven out of Derna after seven people were killed at a protest against the influx of foreign jihadists and the killing of a commander of the local Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade, allied with a former anti-Gaddafi militia in the town.

A number of angry residents joined the Abu Salim Martyrs to help them expel IS from Derna, an Islamist hotspot even during Gaddafi's 42-year rule in which he suppressed political Islam.
Source: MENA