Libyan army is advancing towards Benghazi under the cover of the air corps to liberate the city which has been under control of Islamist militias, spokesman for Libya's chief of staff Ahmad al-Mismari has said.
Speaking to MENA, Mismari said the troops had completely taken control of the central neighborhood of Al-Salam to the eastern district of Daryana.
An army first lieutenant was killed today after being targeted by a sniper in the Benghazi neighborhood of Garyounis, he added.
Libya is witnessing its worst spasm of violence since the downfall of the longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Three years after his killing at the hands of rebel forces, the country has been taken hostage by militias, whose loyalties are either to their local area or to Islamist extremist ideology.