MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) jihadist group militants began evacuating their camp in the northwestern Libyan town of Sabratha after it came under US airstrikes, Arabic media reported Saturday, citing witnesses.
The US airstrike targeted a terrorist training camp and Tunisian Daesh leader Noureddine Chouchane on Friday. Serbian officials have indicated that two of their diplomats kidnapped last November may have been killed in the assault.
Daesh militants fled Sabratha in a number of directions aboard vehicles armed with ammunition, according to witnesses interviewed by Al Arabiya.
18 February 2016, 15:04 GMT
They noted that Daesh-affiliated fighters have established a foothold in part of the coastal resort, suggesting people living in the rest of the town may be used as human shields.
The witnesses estimated at least 180 foreign terrorists had congregated in Sabratha awaiting transportation to other Daesh positions, including the Ajaylat camp 5 miles to the southwest.
