UN-backed forces are just three miles from the centre of Sirte, which is Islamic State's only stronghold outside Iraq and Syria.
Libyan forces have advanced deep inside the
coastal city of Sirte - the stronghold of Islamic State's local
affiliate, an army spokesman has said.
Soldiers loyal to the country's UN-brokered government of
national accord are believed to be just three miles from the city
centre.They have already seized a major bridge in Sirte which extremists have used for hanging the bodies of their enemies, as well as at least two military camps.
However, fighting on Wednesday has killed at least six Libyan soldiers and wounded 30 more, according to local hospitals.
Sirte is strategically important to Islamic State, as it is the only city the self-styled caliphate holds outside of Syria and Iraq.
Their advance has been supported by warplanes which have bombed IS positions and booby-trapped trucks left behind by the terror group's fighters.
An anonymous official has said soldiers are now planning to close in on the organisation's headquarters.
Islamic State has also encountered growing resistance in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, as well as the provinces of Aleppo and Raqqa in northern Syria.
The government of national accord is backed by Western powers who believe it has the best chance of defeating IS in Libya.
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