Image caption Government forces say they have already captured several strategic areas on Sirte’s outskirts Significant gains have been made by Libyan government air, sea and land forces fighting to recapture the central city of Sirte from so-called Islamic State, officials say. Forces allied to the Tripoli government assert they now have the upper hand. Warplanes bombed IS positions in Sirte while naval forces fired missiles into key areas including the port that are held by the militants, officials say. The battle for the city began last month but has recently intensified. Libya still has rival regional administrations and armed forces in the east and west of the country, with each battling extremist militants in their territories. The forces spearheading the advance on Sitra are the Tripoli-based UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). ‘Guerrilla warfare’ Coastguard commander for central Libya Col Reda Issa told the BBC that his men […]