Dutch photojournalist Jeroen Oerlemans has died after being shot during an ambush in the Libyan city of Sirte. At least eight soldiers allied with Libya's unity government were also reportedly killed.
Image: Reuters/H. Amara
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Photojournalist Jeroen Oerlemans was fatally shot on Sunday while accompanying mine-clearing teams in the Libyan city of Sirte, according to fellow journalist Joanie de Rijke, who was reporting with him for the Belgian magazine "Knack."
Dr. Akram Gliwan, a spokesman for a hospital in Misrata where pro-government soldiers are treated, told news agency Agence France-Presse that Oerlemans was "shot in the chest by an 'Islamic State' sniper while covering battles in Sirte," located 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Tripoli.
Eric Strating, the Dutch ambassador to Libya, tweeted his condolences, writing: "Your photographs of Sirte, Libya and other places will live on forever."
"Oerlemans is a journalist who kept going where others stopped. Driven to put the news into pictures in the world's hot spots. It is profoundly sad that he has now paid the ultimate price for this," said Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders in a statement.
The 45-year-old photojournalist was wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet and was clearly identifiable as a journalist, de Rijke told Dutch national broadcaster NOS.
"But it doesn't matter to IS, of course. They shoot at everything and everybody," she added.
The team was in an area of the city that had been freed from the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) group when it was ambushed, Libyan officials said.
Fighting on Sunday also killed at least eight pro-government fighters and 10 IS fighters, said Libya's UN-backed unity government. An additional 57 members of the pro-government forces were wounded.
Forces allied with Libya's unity government launched an assault against IS jihadists in Sirte in May and have recently managed to drive them out with the help of US airstrikes.
The North African nation was plunged into chaos after the NATO-backed ouster of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Control of the country - and access to its rich oil resources - is split between rival governments and militias.
The battle for Sirte
Libyan forces have been fighting since May to retake the town of Sirte from "Islamic State" (IS) fighters. DW photographer Karlos Zurutuza spent time with pro-government forces and portrays the battle to regain control.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
The last assault
The government offensive on Sirte began on May 12 in an attempt to retake the "Islamic State" (IS) group's main stronghold in Libya. The operation, "Solid Structure," is being led by the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and backed by US airstrikes.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Door-to-door war
After Libyan forces seized locations all around the coastal city, clashes turned into a door-to-door war. IS fighters are currently surrounded in two districts in downtown Sirte, which are also being targeted by Libyan navy vessels. Officials have denied there are foreign boots on the ground. "Only Libyans are fighting on the ground," Mohammed Al-Ghasri, an army spokesman, told DW.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
A battering ram against IS
While US airstrikes are playing a major role in the offensive, these Russian-made tanks have turned into an indispensable weapon against snipers' positions, car bombs as well as Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) which litter downtown Sirte.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Take no prisoners
Libyan fighters claim that it's impossible to take IS prisoners. According to Libyan forces, many of them wear explosive vests and prefer to die in combat than being captured alive. Over 400 Libyan fighters have died in Sirte since the operation began in May. The enemy has not disclosed their number of casualties.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Mixed bag
Although a majority of the Libyan forces deployed in Sirte are from Misrata - 230 kilometers west of Sirte - there are also fighters from other regions in Libya. The strength of IS has triggered concerns in a country which has three governments - one in the east, one in the west and the UN-backed executive - each relying on their own armed groups.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Coping with an emergency
Doctors in Sirte work as volunteers in exhausting shifts to cope with the influx of wounded fighters. Ambulances and improvised hospitals like this one are also recurrent targets for IS snipers and car bombs.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
A never-ending nightmare
Doctors on the ground say they have seen several fighters who have been shot in the throat. "Some patients have recovered from chest shots, or even head shots, so snipers are seemingly aiming at their throats. If they survive they'll be quadriplegic, meaning that they'll never be able to fight again," Doctor Mustafa Shorfu told DW from Sirte's main hospital.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Flying out the wounded
The most seriously injured are transferred daily by air to Misrata. Senior officials on the ground told DW that combat operations in Sirte were mostly suspended this week due to the high number of injured treated at Misrata's hospital. Booby-trap devices in areas formerly under IS control are reportedly causing huge loses among the fighters.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Missing home
There is no telephone network in Sirte so during the rare lulls in fighting, fighters from neighboring areas such as Misrata choose to go home to visit their families. The ones who stay have to live with a lack of any modern amenities amid the debris of the battle.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Imminent liberation?
Libyan fighters on the ground are convinced they will soon retake full control of Sirte. "We think there are no more than 50 of them [IS fighters - the ed.] left inside the area under their control so we may liberate the city in the forthcoming days," Omar Zidani, a fighter from Misrata, told DW.
