An uneasy calm settled on Sabratha after IS militants withdrew from all of the positions they controlled Tuesday night and retreated to unknown areas, security sources from Sabratha reported.

The truth behind the pull-out is yet unverified as news has come in saying they withdrew due to compromise efforts, knowing that late at night, scores of armed men arrived in Sabratha from neighboring cities to support the city’s fighters.

According to a statement by Sabratha Municipality, the clashes between IS and Sabratha Military Council started Tuesday evening with a citywide scouring operation in the city’s suburbs to uproot the terrorist group, which gave the IS sleeping cells a chance to take the advantage of the security gap in the city center and venture to control some key positions.
However, the IS militants had all withdrawn by dawn from the positions they controlled downtown Sabratha.

Earlier, Sabratha Military Council's battalions managed to take hold of two buildings, previously controlled by IS, in Al-Nahda neighborhood on the fringes of the city.