Hunting Daesh in Libya: There are no prisoners here, only corpses

SIRTE, Libya - It was the last stand of the militant group Daesh in the Libyan coastal town of Sirte. Libyan pro-government forces have finally captured the neighbourhood of Jiza el Bahirya after months of bitter, close quarter combat.    

It's the day after Tuesday's battle and hundreds of Libyan fighters roam the rubble-strewn streets of what is left of Sirte, searching. Anti-aircraft artillery mounted on four-wheel drive Toyotas still block the roads. There are no civilians left, and the displaced won't be able to come back anytime soon. There's no water or electricity, and Daesh has filled the area with landmines and booby traps.    

The crowd of fighters - all part of the Government of National Accord's Banyoun Al Marsoos Operation - quickly moves into the seaside road where the last Daesh holdouts had been hemmed in. Surrounding a collapsed building facing the Mediterranean Sea, they start rummaging. It doesn't take long for them to find what they are looking for.  

"Move away, everyone," one of the Libyan forces' soldiers shouts at the other men who are standing around. Seven Daesh militants - supporters of their fallen "Caliphate" - are trapped under the debris. They are still alive.    

"They are threatening to activate their explosive belts if anyone touches them," said another of the Libyan forces' fighters, who is acting as a makeshift negotiator with the captured Daesh militants. Defiant, the crowd refuses to fall back. Another Libyan soldier chases away anyone with a camera.    

"Go away. It's forbidden!" he shouts.   

They don't want any witnesses for what they are about to do.    

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Author: NancyPorsia