Authorities in Libya said on Sunday (January 1) that they found a mass grave with 18 bodies in the Sabaa area of Sirte city- which is a former stronghold of the Islamic State (IS). Issuing a statement, the Missing Persons Authority said the bodies were unearthed and sent to a local hospital, the Associated Press reported.
The authority said it has collected samples of the dead bones to identify the bodies. Details regarding the cause of death of these 18 people were not given, the report said.
In October last year, officials said they found 42 bodies in a mass grave at a school site in Sirte. And in December 2018, bodies of over 30 men were discovered near the city, believed to be the corpses of an Ethiopian Christian group that IS terrorists executed.
Sirte was the birthplace of Libya’s former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The city was under the control of the Islamic State from 2015 to 2016. The IS terrorists were driven out of the city in December 2016 by Libya’s forces supported by the United States and allied with the United Nations back government in Tripoli.
Since Gaddafi’s overthrow and killing, the country of Libya has been split between rival authorities. Sirte is currently controlled by forces that are loyal to military leader Khalifa Hifter.
At present, hundreds of alleged former IS terrorists are in prisons across Libya, with many awaiting trial.
(With inputs from agencies)
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