TRIPOLI

 Libyan militants have released 15 Ukrainian doctors in the coastal city of Sirte, Ukrainian ambassador Mykola Nahornyi said Monday.

"The doctors have been released after being abducted from a hospital in the city," Nahornyi told The Anadolu Agency.

The diplomat gave, however, no details about the identity of the abductors.

"The kidnappers did not communicate with Ukrainian authorities or asked for a ransom for freeing the doctors," he said.

The ambassador said that the freed doctors are now in the Ibn Sina hospital.

"They are well and in good health," he said.

Libyan officials and local media have said that Daesh militants have seized control of Sirte.

The militant group invited attention to its presence in the northern city in January when it posted a video online showing the execution of 21 people, including 20 Egyptians.

Libya has remained in a state of turmoil since a bloody uprising ended the decades-long rule of strongman Muammar Gaddafi in late 2011.

Since then, the country's stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of government, each with its own institutions and military capacities.

Vying for legislative authority are the Tobruk-based House of Representatives and the Islamist-led General National Congress, which convenes in Tripoli.

The two assemblies support two rival governments respectively headquartered in the two cities.