MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Sirte, located on the Mediterranean coast, has been held by the militants since 2015. In May, troops loyal to newly formed Government of National Accord started an offensive against Daesh forces in the city. In August, the United States launched Operation Odyssey Lightning to support the offensive.
Six Daesh militants were captured on Saturday, while two more "swimmers" were detained earlier on Sunday, the Libyan News Agency (LANA) reported, citing a military source.
The latter were the citizens of neighbouring Tunisia.
Daesh gained a foothold in Libya in the turmoil that followed the 2011 ouster of the country’s longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.