Libya exhumes 15 bodies from 2 mass graves in Sirte

TRIPOLI, Libya

Libyan authorities said Wednesday that 15 bodies were exhumed from two mass graves in the coastal city of Sirte.

In a statement, the General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons said the two graves were found in the garden of Ibn Sina Hospital upon a tip-off from the Sirte District Prosecutor's Office.

It said forensic teams will examine the bodies to identify them.

On December 17, 2016, the Libyan Government of National Accord announced the complete liberation of Sirte from the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group.

Discoveries of mass graves are common in war-torn Libya, especially in Tarhuna city, a former stronghold for warlord Khalifa Haftar.

According to Libyan official sources, Haftar’s forces and affiliated militias committed war crimes and acts of genocide in the period between April 2019 and June 2020.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi in Ankara contributed to this report