ISIS occupies centre of Libyan city near Tripoli

Ethiopian security forces are carrying out a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests in the country’s Oromia region and thousands of people are being held without charge, a human rights group has said. The demonstrations began in November due to a government plan to expand the boundaries of Addis Ababa into Oromia, which surrounds the capital, raising fears among Oromo people that their farms would be expropriated. Addis Ababa, which has accused the protesters of having links with “terror groups”, dropped the plan on January 12 and announced that the situation in Oromia was largely under control. The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), however, said the protests were continuing. — AFP

Tripoli – Islamic State group jihadists briefly occupied the heart of a Libyan city near Tripoli but were ousted by militia fighters, in clashes that left 16 people dead, officials said yesterday.

ISIS has taken advantage of growing chaos to expand its foothold in the North African country, which has rival governments vying for power.

The jihadists’ overnight seizure of the security headquarters and other buildings in Sabratha came days after a US air strike hit an ISIS training camp near the western city, killing dozens, probably including a senior ISIS operative.

ISIS fighters exploited the “security vacuum” in the city centre as security forces loyal to authorities in militia-held Tripoli conducted raids looking for ISIS operatives in the suburbs, Sabratha’s municipal council said in a statement.

Up to 200 ISIS fighters from “sleeper cells” seized the chance at around midnight Tuesday to take control of the security headquarters and other buildings, Taher al-Gharabli, the head of the city’s military council, told television.

Ten members of the security forces were killed when ISIS attacked the security base, while six others died in clashes before and afterwards, military council spokesperson Adel Benwir said.

Security forces have since regained “complete control,” Benwir said.

“Some IS fighters are south of the city,” he added, without giving a number.

Libya has had rival administrations since mid-2014 when the internationally recognised government fled Tripoli after the Fajr Libya militia alliance overran the capital and set up its own parliament.

Last June, ISIS seized the coastal city of Sirte, east of Tripoli, raising fears that it is establishing a new stronghold on Europe’s doorstep.

The group has since attacked key coastal oil facilities and staged a string of suicide bombings. – AFP