5 soldiers, 8 militants killed in clashes in eastern Libya

Five soldiers and eight militants were killed on Saturday in clashes between the Libyan army and militant groups in eastern city of Darna, said a military official.

"The clashes between the army and the Mujahideen Shura Council militants took place in Ain Mara area, near Darna, injuring about 15 people from both sides," Colonel Ahmed Al-Mismari, spokesman of the Libyan army, told Xinhua.

"The clashes were an attempt of the militants to penetrate the front line of the security cordon imposed by the army on the city of Darna," Al-Mismari said, adding that "the attempt was done from the western side of the city."

However, a leader of the Mujahideen Shura Council said only four of the council's fighters were killed in the clashes.

The Libyan army imposes a security cordon on Darna from all sides while the area of Ain Mara has been witnessing, for two weeks, violent clashes between army troops and the fighters of the Mujahideen Shura Council.

On Dec. 12, the formation of "Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Darna" was announced to include a number of Islamist fighters to guard against any possible attacks by the Libyan army and forces of Major General Khalifa Haftar on the city, which is out of the control of the Libyan government and dominated by Islamic groups, including the Islamic State (IS)-pro groups.

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