Militants with the Islamic State group killed seven fighters with the Islamist-backed Libya Dawn militia in an attack on a checkpoint near the city of Misrata, a militia spokesman said today.
Yesterday's "attack on the checkpoint killed seven from Libya Shield Force south of the city," the spokesman said, referring to a part of the Libya Dawn alliance.
IS said in an audio recording posted online that it was behind the attack on the checkpoint, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of capital Tripoli.
Last week, five Islamist-backed Libya Dawn fighters were killed when IS attacked a checkpoint in the Libyan city of Sirte.
Libya Dawn militiamen have been engaged in sporadic fighting with IS jihadists around the city, the home town of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi, whose regime was toppled in a 2011 NATO-backed revolt.
Last month at least 12 Libya Dawn militiamen were killed in clashes with IS jihadists near Sirte.
Fourteen Egyptian fishermen held for entering Libyan waters without permission were meanwhile released today after three months in detention.
A Libyan maritime official said the release came after coordinating with their families and Egyptian authorities.
Libya has been plagued by chaos since the end of the revolt that toppled Kadhafi, with heavily armed militias battling for control of its cities and oil wealth and rival governments and parliaments vying for power.
The country has had two governments and parliaments since Tripoli was seized in August by Libya Dawn and the internationally recognised government fled to the country's far east.
