Militants attack checkpoint near Libya's Misrata, air strikes hit Sirte

TRIPOLI Islamic State militants attacked a checkpoint near the Libyan city of Misrata on Wednesday, killing three security personnel, a military source said, and a resident of Sirte said an air strike there killed three children and injured their mother.


The militants withdrew from the Abu Grain checkpoint and the situation was under control, the source said. Abu Grain is on the road between Misrata and Sirte, where militants loyal to Islamic State took control last year.


War planes, believed to be from Misrata, carried out air strikes at three different sites in Sirte, including near a water plant - where the children were killed - and close to a hotel complex in the city center.


There was no immediate confirmation from officials in Misrata, but forces from the city regularly carry out air strikes on Sirte.


Islamic State has taken advantage of political and a security vacuum in Libya to establish a foothold in the north African country, carrying out attacks on cities and against oil installations.


(Reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli and Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Louise Ireland)




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