News Digest

UK special forces ‘blow up IS suicide truck’ in Libya

British special forces have been praised for saving lives after reportedly blowing up an Islamic State (IS) “suicide truck” in Libya earlier this month. UK forces fired a missile at a truck, doubling up as a bomb, as it approached a bridge towards the city of Misrata, destroying the vehicle, a Libyan military commander has been quoted as saying. Commander Durat of Misrata’s Third Force militia told The Times the incident happened on 12 May, with UK forces taking decisive action.

blew up the suicide truck with a huge explosion, the biggest we have seen yet

Commander Durat of Misrata’s Third Force militia

He described how special forces calculated the co-ordinates and ranges required for a successful attack, saying the explosion “blew up the suicide truck with a huge explosion, the biggest we have seen yet”. Last month, a Foreign Office spokesman said the UK is focused on training Libyan security forces and has no plans to deploy ground troops. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it does not comment on special forces operations, but reports of the incident led some MPs to express concern about the role of British forces in the country. Earlier this year UN sanctions monitors said IS was exploiting a power vacuum in the country and warned the group was becoming “increasingly attractive to foreign fighters.”