By Ajnadin Mustafa.
Tripoli, 31 July 2015:
After three days of bitter fighting, the Shoura Council of Mujahideen in Derna claims to have . . .[restrict]forced Islamic State (IS) gunmen to pull back from the winding mountain road south of the town. The location, known as Kurfat Sebaa or seven curves, referring to the seven hair-pin bends on the road, leads to Fataiah, the area mainly full of farms still which is controlled by IS.
Kurfat Sebaa was used by IS to target Derna’s residential Shiha and Bab Torbuk districts. In the past two days, as many as ten locals are said to have been injured as a result of IS firing. However, the two districts are now safe, the Mujahideen say.
However, they admit the advances have come at a heavy price. In the three days of fighting in what is being called the Battle of Nahruwan, they lost at least 13 men with another 48 wounded, but the number of dead is said to be set to rise. The figures for yesterday and today have not been announced.
The fight in the larger Fataiah area is expected to be even more intense.
IS does not disclose casualty figures. [/restrict]
