Terrorist ISIL takes control of airbase in Libya’s Sirte: Report

Takfiri ISIL terrorists have reportedly taken control of an airbase in the northern Libyan coastal city of Sirte.

The move, reported on Friday, comes as the terrorist group has been seeking to expand its presence beyond the borders of Iraq and Syria, the two countries where it has been engaged in heinous crimes against humanity.

The al-Qardabiya airbase in central Sirte fell into the hands of ISIL, said Mohamed al-Shami, a spokesman for the Tripoli-based Libyan government.

The Misrata-based so-called 166th Battalion forces withdrew from the seized airbase late Thursday.

Meanwhile, the ISIL terrorist group posted a statement on Twitter, touting the airbase’s takeover by its militants.

Emergence in Libya

In February, ISIL released a video on the web that showed the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.

Egypt’s military carried out a series of airstrikes against militant targets in the city of Derna in retaliation for the slaughter of the Copts. Derna, located roughly 300 kilometers (about 190 miles) from Libya’s border with Egypt, has been regarded as a base for ISIL in eastern Libya.

In the same month, the ISIL media outlet published photos showing members of the Takfiri militant group parading on the streets of Sirte.

Over the past few months, there has been occasional fighting between ISIL and the Libya Dawn faction, which has been tasked by the government in Tripoli for the security of Sirte.

The government in Tripoli is not internationally recognized.