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MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - Libya forces allied with UN-backed government who last year defeated Islamic State in Sirte are increasing patrols to stop the militants regrouping and threatening to launch attacks on the port city of Misrata, a military commander said.

The forces, mainly brigades from Misrata drove Islamic State from Sirte at the end of last year after a six-month campaign backed by U.S airstrikes. Islamic State took over the city in 2015 taking advantage of Libya's political chaos.

"We have spotted movements by Daesh (Islamic State) in the south of Sirte, where they are trying to regroup and break through our forces' lines in the south," said Mohamed Ghasri, spokesman for the "Al-Bunyan al-Marsous" forces in Misrata.

Ghasri gave no details of numbers of fighters estimated in the south of Sirte. But he said Misrata forces had lacked support from the international community since defeating Islamic State last year.

French officials fear Islamic State militants and other jihadists could try to exploit any power vacuum in Libya to regroup after losing ground in Syria and Iraq.

The Misrata forces took the fight to Sirte after Islamic State took over the city nearly two years ago and launched attacks on nearby oilfields and threatened Misrata, a major port city and home to one of Libya's most powerful armed factions.

Militants took advantage of Libya's steady descent into turmoil after civil war ousted Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Rival brigades of former rebels backed by competing political factions turned against each other in a fight for control.

A U.N.-backed government in Tripoli is trying to extend its influence, though it is facing resistance from some armed rivals. Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and eastern commander Khalifa Haftar agreed to work on a ceasefire and elections at talks in Paris on Wednesday.

Reporting by Ayman Al-Sahli in Misrata; writing by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; editing by Patrick Markey and Richard Balmforth

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Libyan forces step up patrols to stop Islamic State regrouping - Reuters

africanews

Post-Gaddafi Libya: How the current chaos was birthed africanews Political watchers said Libya at the time could not be described as a democracy and after over four decades in power, an armed uprising broke out in February 2011 leading to the fall of the Gaddafi regime, plunging the country into instability.

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Post-Gaddafi Libya: How the current chaos was birthed - africanews

Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the leader of the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli, and Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the so-called Libyan National Army which controls parts of the east of the country, met with the French President at a chateau in La Celle Saint-Cloud, west of Paris. Ghassan Salam, the new special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, also took part in the discussions Tuesday.

"Today, the cause of peace in Libya has made great progress," President Macron tweeted.

The talks ended with a 10-point joint declaration backed by the two Libyan rivals.

The two leaders said they recognized that the "solution to the Libya crisis can only be a political one and requires a national reconciliation process involving all Libyans," according to the statement released by the lyse Palace.

The declaration also included a commitment to "work towards the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible ... in cooperation with the relevant institutions and with the support and under the supervision of the United Nations."

The two rivals pledged a "ceasefire and to refrain from any use of armed force for any purpose that does not strictly constitute counter-terrorism..."

Earlier Tuesday, the French President's office acknowledged it had prematurely released a statement outlining the deal. It released the new statement hours later.

Sarraj and Haftar had not met since failed talks in the United Arab Emirates in May.

Both men have been involved in the struggle for power in Libya, which descended into chaos after former dictator Moammar Gadhafi was toppled in 2011.

France played a leading role in the international intervention in Libya. All parties, including those countries that neighbor Libya, were keen to secure a peace deal and work toward ending the migrant crisis, with Libya often used as a gateway to Europe.

Macron has not been shy in embracing the international stage, hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump since taking office.

His latest attempt is to bring an end to the crisis which has engulfed Libya.

The country has been beset by internal divisions since Gadhafi was overthrown six years ago, a move which led to the collapse of the economy and vital oil production as well as the emergence of ISIS.

Sarraj has the backing of the UN in the Libyan capital. But Haftar, who rejects Sarraj's government, remains in control in the eastern city of Tobruk, and his forces liberated the city of Benghazi last month after three years of fighting Islamists.

One of the most problematic issues facing Libya and Europe is the flood of refugees making the dangerous crossing between the two.

Many of those attempting to make the trip are aiming for Italy, which is desperate for a solution to instability within Libya.

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Libya rivals agree to ceasefire, elections - CNN.com

This combination of pictures shows self-styled Libyan National Army's chief Khalifa Haftar (L) on Aug. 24, 2015 and Libya's U.N.-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj on April 7, 2017.Khalil MazraawiAFP/Getty Images

(LA CELLE SAINT-CLOUD, France) Two rival Libyan leaders committed themselves on Tuesday to a cease-fire, working toward presidential and parliamentary elections and finding a roadmap to secure lawless Libya against terrorism and trafficking of all kinds, according to a document released by the French presidency.

The meetings at a chateau in La Celle Saint-Cloud, west of Paris, brought together Fayez Serraj, prime minister of the U.N.-backed unity government, and Gen. Khalifa Hifter, the Egyptian-backed commander of Libya's self-styled national army.

Emmanuel Macron met separately with each ahead of an encounter between the two Libyans in the presence of U.N.'s newly appointed special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame.

"There is political legitimacy in the hands of Mr. Serraj. There is military legitimacy is in the hands of Mr. Hifter. They have decided to work together," Macron said after the series of encounters.

The 10-point joint declaration that capped the talks was the first of its kind between the rivals.

Among the points agreed upon was a commitment to a cease-fire with armed force reserved "strictly" for use in counter-terrorism operations.

The rivals also "solemnly commit to work toward the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible."

The French president said later that the goal is for balloting in the spring. Serraj had said in May that elections would be held in spring. The date may seem premature in a country that has spiraled into chaos since the 2011 toppling and killing of leader Moammar Gadhafi. But French diplomats had said before the meeting that they would support such an initiative.

"The stakes of this reconciliation are enormous. Enormous for the Libyan people, who have been suffering, living with instability and terrorist threats these past years, and it is considerable for the whole region," Macron said after the talks. "If Libya fails," he said, "the whole region fails with it."

The stakes are high for Europe, too, as hundreds of thousands of migrants using Libya as a springboard reach its shores, mainly in Italy, and as Islamic extremists sheltering and multiplying in Libya cross to other North African states, most former French colonies.

The encounter was never expected to resolve the knotty problems of Libya, politically fractured and awash in militias and weapons and human traffickers preying on migrants who use the Libyan coast as a jumping off point to Europe, mainly Italy. But the joint declaration is to serve as a basis for further work by the U.N. envoy.

Macron, elected in May, was at ease in his role as peacemaker. He has made known that working toward laying the groundwork for a Libya with a functioning government and institutions is a priority of his presidency.

Appearing at a news conference, the three men shook hands and the two Libyan rivals bear-hugged Macron before exchanging timid kisses on the cheek. Neither Serraj nor Hifter spoke to the press.

"The courage that is yours today by being here and by agreeing to this joint declaration is historic," Macron said.

France, minding its diplomatic manners, has made clear that Macron's initiative is part of a larger process guided by the U.N. and does not negate work by the European Union, the African Union and individual countries working to find a path leading to a stable Libya under civilian rule.

The 10 points of the final declaration paint a picture of a Libya with a democratically elected government and a regular army and where human rights are respected and militias are banned.

The first point states that the solution to the Libyan crisis "can only be political" with a national reconciliation process that includes "all Libyans."

The two leaders called for disarmament and demobilization of fighters who don't want to integrate the regular armed forces so they can be reintegrated into civilian life.

This was not the first meeting between Serraj and Hifter. They last met in early May in Abu Dhabi, and the United Arab Emirates said later there had been a "significant breakthrough." However, no joint declaration followed.

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Libyan Rivals Agree to a Cease-Fire and Elections After Talks in France - TIME

Twenty suspected Isis fighters were shot and killed at point blankrange by the self-styledLibyanNational Army, according to two videos released on social media.

The first clip shows 18men in orange jump suitskneeling on the ground, blindfolded. A man believed to be Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a senior leader of General Khalifa Haftars forces, can be seen reading out charges before executing one of the people himself, according to the Libyan Express.

A second video shows two more suspects killed.

The executions reportedly took place on 17 July, withfootage posted online on Sunday.

On 18 July,United Nations human rights spokesperson Liz Throssell urged General Haftar's factionto investigate executions and suspend the commander, Werfalli.

We are deeply concerned that, after recent fighting in Benghazi, people taken prisoner by members of the Libyan National Army (LNA), which effectively controls eastern Libya, may be at imminent risk of torture and even summary execution.

Reports have suggested the involvement of Special Forces, a unit aligned with the LNA, in torturing detainees and summarily executing at least 10 captured men.

We urge the LNA to ensure there is a full, impartial investigation into these allegations.

The UN had also called on the general to suspend Werfalli after a video emerged in March, allegedly showing him shooting dead three men who were kneeling in a similar fashion to the suspected Isis detainees in the July clip.

The latest video comes as French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host General Haftar and Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj in an effort to help broker a UN-supported agreement between the two. Tensions are high afterGeneral Haftarwas quoted to havesaid he refusesto work with the Unity Government until the militias are disbanded.

The country has been in a volatilestate since rebel forces enacted a coup and removed Muammar Gaddafifrom power, in 2011.

A statement from the French president reads: France intends, through this initiative, to facilitate a political understanding between the Libyan Prime Minister and the Commander of the Libyan National Army, as Mr Ghassan Salam, the United Nations Secretary-General's new Special Representative for Libya, who is participating in the discussions, takes office as United Nations mediator.

In consultation with all its partners, France intends to signal its support for the efforts to build a political compromise, under the aegis of the United Nations, which draws all the various Libyan players together on an inclusive basis.

The challenge is to create a state which is capable of addressing the Libyans' basic needs and equipped with a regular, unified army under the authority of civilian power. This is necessary for controlling Libya's territory and borders in order to combat terrorist groups and the trafficking of arms and migrants, but also with a view to the return of stable institutional life.

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'Isis' fighters blindfolded and shot dead by Libyan forces in mass ... - The Independent