‘Local Daesh chief captured in Libya’

TRIPOLI — A local chief of the Daesh terror group and two aides have been captured in a city near Libya's capital, according to the Tripoli-based government which is not internationally recognised.

The Tripoli interior ministry's special forces unit, on its Facebook page, said the Daesh "emir" for Sabratha, Mohamed Saad Al Tajuri, also known as Abu Sleiman, was seized in the city, 70km west of the capital.

It did not specify his nationality or those of his two aides.

On Wednesday, Daesh militants killed 18 people in clashes as they briefly occupied the heart of Sabratha before they were ousted by militia fighters, according to officials in Tripoli.

A US air strike near Sabratha last week targeted a suspected Daesh training camp, killing 50 people. Serbia said two of its diplomats being held hostage were among the dead.

Daesh has taken advantage of growing chaos to expand its foothold in Libya, which has rival administrations vying for power.

The internationally recognised government fled Tripoli in mid-2014 after the Fajr Libya militia alliance overran the capital and set up its own parliament.