40 killed as US warplanes bomb IS militants in Libya

At least 40 militants were killed as US warplanes on Friday bombed positions of Islamic State (IS) in the Libyan city of Sabratha.

The attack left six others injured, Xinhua quoted a senior official as saying.

The airstrike targeted Noureddine Chouchane, a senior Tunisian militant linked to two deadly attacks last year in Tunisia, the media reports said.

Sabratha is a Libyan coastal city located near the Tunisian border. Western officials claim the city is a haven of IS affiliated militants.

The IS in Libya dominates the city of Sirte as well as the eastern city of Derna.

Libya has been suffering a security vacuum and a state of anarchy since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's administration in 2011.

The poor security conditions in the north African country enabled militants to spread and gain more power on ground.