Daesh claims attack in southern Libya that killed at least nine

Daesh on Saturday claimed responsibility for an attack on a town in Libya’s southern desert that killed nine people and in which several people were kidnapped, according to a resident.

The militant group, which made its claim in a statement on its news agency Amaq, said 29 people had been either killed or wounded in Friday’s attack.

A military source said the gunmen had occupied a police station in the oasis town of Tazerbo, north of Kufra, until residents expelled them.

The town, used in the past as a resting stop for tourists on Sahara camping tours before Libya plunged into chaos in 2011, listed six residents on its website as among those killed.

A resident said nine people had been killed in all and 10 wounded. Several policemen and civilians had also been abducted, he said.

Daesh has staged several attacks on southern towns since withdrawing into the desert after losing its main stronghold, the coastal city of Sirte, late in 2016.