Libyan military forces on Wednesday seized a key base of the Islamic State group in the city of Sirte. Militants of the terror outfit used the Ouagadougou Conference Centre, which flew the group's black flag, to hold meetings and send out religious instructions after they took over Sirte last year. Libyan forces also captured university buildings and a hospital, Reuters reported.

Capturing the Ouagadougou convention centre – a landmark in the hometown of Libya's deceased dictator Muammarr Gaddafi – marks major progress for the country's military. They said airstrikes launched by the United States helped their fight considerably.

A spokesperson for the troops, Rida Issa, said, "Our forces have complete control of the whole of the Ouagadougou complex. They even advanced some distance beyond the complex." However, the progress made by Libyan fighters came with heavy casualties. Several died because of landmines planted by the Islamic State group and their snipers.