'Nine dead in IS attack' on Haftar forces in south Libya

IS fighters, "backed by criminal groups and mercenaries", launched a dawn assault on a military training camp in the southern city of Sebha, which is controlled by Haftar's forces, the city's mayor Hamed al-Khayali told AFP.

"The attack left nine dead ... some of whom had their throats slit and others who were shot dead," he said.

A spokesman for the Sebha Medical Centre confirmed it had received nine dead bodies.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement distributed through social media, saying it had targeted "Haftar's heretical militia" and freed prisoners held on the base.

Sebha is controlled by Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army, which opposes the UN-recognised Government of National Accord based in Tripoli.

A power struggle between the GNA and a parallel administration supported by Haftar in the east has left the country's vast desert south a lawless no-man's land.

The rugged territory, which shares borders with Algeria, Niger, Chad and Sudan, has become a haven for jihadists and other armed groups.

The LNA in mid-January announced the start of an offensive intended to "purge the south of terrorists and criminal groups", including rebels from Chad.

On April 4 it began another assault aimed at capturing the capital, leading to fierce fighting on the city's doorstep.