Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti said on Tuesday that the country would build the hospital in the western city of Misrata, as UN-backed Libyan forces continue to wage war on the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist group.
"We are ready," Pinotti said while speaking before a parliamentary commission on Libya. She said that Italy was planning to deploy around 300 personnel to the North African country: 65 doctors and nurses, 135 support staff and 100 soldiers to protect the hospital.
A C-27 transport plane will be stationed at the hospital in case the need arises for an emergency evacuation and an Italian warship will be anchored off the Libyan coast for security back-up.
The decision came in response to a request from the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), which has the backing of the international community.
GNA forces battling IS in Sirte
Contingent ready immediately
Pinotti, who couched the new operation in humanitarian terms, said the contingent of soldiers would be ready immediately. However, she didn't offer an exact timetable for the opening of the hospital.
GNA-loyal fighters have been battling IS at the terror group's former stronghold of Sirte for several months now. Italy - a former colonizer of Libya - has acknowledged in the past that it has sent special forces into the country to assist the government.
Around 400 Libyan soldiers have been killed in efforts to recapture Sirte. Another 2,500 have been injured.
The move comes shortly after forces loyal to a rival administration in Libya led by General Khalifa Haftar seized a number of oil ports over the past several days.
blc/kl (Reuters, AFP)
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
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The battle for Sirte
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.
Author: Karlos Zurutuza, Sirte, Libya
