Islamic State briefly takes center of strategic Libyan city

Libyan security forces stand in front of the security headquarters, one showing his weapon with a Libyan flag, in the western city of Sabratha, Libya, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. American fighter-bombers struck an Islamic State militant training camp in rural Libya near Sabratha Friday, killing dozens. Serbian officials say two Serbian embassy staffers who had been held hostage since November are believed to have been killed in the airstrikes. Washington and its European allies are seeking to end the interminable divisions among Libyan factions to form a unity government that the West can support in fighting the jihadis. AP

CAIRO — A top Libyan army commander says Islamic State affiliates briefly took the center of Sabratha, a western city and hub of migrants heading to Europe.

Taher al-Gharabili told The Associated Press that his troops forced the IS militants to retreat early Wednesday morning.

READ: US struggling to build anti-Islamic State strategy in Libya

Al-Gharabili said the gunmen “exploited a security vacuum” by deploying in the city center as the military was occupied conducting raids elsewhere. He added that the IS gunmen left behind 12 beheaded bodies of members of the security forces.

Last week, US airstrikes killed dozens of suspected militants in the city along with two Serbian hostages kidnapped last year

READ: Nations discuss how to snuff out Islamic State in Libya