World Bulletin / News Desk

Libyan government forces have reportedly rescued 14 civilians in Sirte amid an ongoing campaign to oust ISIL militants from the northern city.

In a Sunday statement, the government forces said they freed the civilians, mostly women and children, from a residential area in the city where ISIL militants were holding out.

Forces aligned with the UN-backed unity government have been battling ISIL militants in Sirte for months now in an effort to recapture the city, which was overrun by the extremist group in 2015.

Government forces have now cornered ISIL militants in the Giza Bahriya neighborhood, the militant group’s last stronghold in the city.

Libya has remained in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a bloody uprising ended with the ouster and death of longtime strongman Muammar Gaddafi.