Libyan forces clear last Islamic State holdout in former bastion Sirte - spokesman

A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government stands atop the ruins of a house as the forces secure the last few buildings where Islamic State militants had been making a final stand, in Ghiza Bahriya district in Sirte, Libya December 6, 2016. REUTERS/Hani Amara

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan forces backed by U.S. air strikes have finished clearing the final district of former Islamic State stronghold of Sirte in which the jihadist group had been holding out, a spokesman for the forces said on Tuesday. Rida Issa said the forces had "secured all the buildings and the streets" in the Ghiza Bahriya area, where Islamic State fighters have dug in for weeks. A Reuters witness confirmed the battle for control of Ghiza Bahriya had ended. (Writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by John Stonestreet)