Libya discovers bodies of 21 Christians murdered by IS

The bodies of 21 Christians killed by the Islamic State (IS) in 2015 have been discovered in a mass grave near Sirte, northern Libya, the jihadist group's stronghold, the Libyan Interior Ministry announced on October 7.

Sirte area. (Source: DW)

In a statement, the Organized Crime Directorate in Misrata, 200 km east of Tripoli, said the bodies were those of 20 Egyptians and one dark-skinned man (possibly of African origin).

The bodies were found based on testimonies from IS militants captured and detained by forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Sirte. The mass graves were discovered on the morning of October 6, and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has also confirmed this.

The bodies were dismembered, the Crime Branch said. The remains have been transferred to Misrata and a pathologist has been notified.

On February 15, 2015, IS released a video showing the beheading of 21 men described as Christians, mostly Egyptians, who had been kidnapped that same month in western Libya.

Sirte is a city on the Mediterranean coast, 450 km east of the capital Tripoli. In 2015, it became an IS stronghold in Libya before being recaptured by GNA forces in December 2016./.

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