Gunmen kill six in southern Libya

Gunmen raided a town deep in Libya’s southern desert, killing six, the municipality said on Friday, adding that it believed the militant group Islamic State was responsible.

A military source said the attackers had occupied a police station in the oasis town of Tazerbo, north of Kufra, until residents expelled them. The source also said the attackers were believed to belong to Islamic State.

The town - which was a resting point for tourists going on Sahara camping tours before Libya plunged into chaos in 2011 - listed six residents on its website as having been killed, reports Reuters.

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