UN-backed Libyan govt forces say quit Sirte to 'save civilian lives'

The forces of Libya's UN-backed government on Tuesday withdrew from the strategic coastal city of Sirte to "save civilian lives" after the rival eastern-based army took over it on Monday, spokesperson of the protection force of Sirte said.

"Our operations chamber examined the situation and estimated that Sirte would be turned into a battlefield that would expose 120,000 citizens to death and displacement," Taha Hadid said.

"Our forces could have continued fighting for two weeks with their current capabilities and without any external support, but the consequences would have been disastrous for the civilians," Hadid added.

Sirte, located some 450 kilometres east of the capital Tripoli, used to be dominated by Islamic State terrorists. Forces allied with the UN-backed government, who mostly come from the nearby city of Misurata, took over the city and expelled the terrorists in December 2016.

Spokesperson of the eastern-based army, Ahmad al-Mismari, on Monday announced that the army had taken over Sirte.

Hadid said that "terrorism has returned to Sirte," confirming that "criminal gangs pillaged and burned people's houses."

The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign since early April in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government.

Thousands have been killed and injured in the fighting, and more than 1,20,000 civilians fled their homes away from the violence.