Dutch journalist killed by ISIS sniper while reporting in Libya's Sirte

A Dutch journalist was killed on Monday while covering a government-backed offensive against the Islamic State group in their Libyan stronghold city of Sirte, a doctor said.

Dr Akram Gliwan, spokesman for a hospital in Misrata where pro-government fighters are treated, told AFP that photographer Jeroen Oerlemans was "shot in the chest by an IS sniper while covering battles in Sirte" 450 kilometres east of Tripoli. Gliwan said his body had been transferred to Misrata, 200 kilometres west of Sirte.

Oerlemans was working in Libya for a number of organisations, including the Belgian weekly Knack magazine, which confirmed his death. A message on Knack's website said Oerlemans was shot on a reporting assignment and that the publication "wishes his family much strength".

Knack said it had been informed of Oerlemans' killing by the journalist with whom he was on assignment. The paper did not say when Oerlemans had been killed, but said he had been wearing a bullet proof vest.

Oerlemans had been reporting on fighting between government and Islamic State troops. In 2012 Oerlemans was briefly kidnapped by Islamic radicals in Syria, along with Briton John Cantlie, but both were rescued by the Free Syrian Army.

Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord launched an assault against the jihadist bastion in May. IS fighters holed up in Sirte, the birthplace of ousted Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, responded with suicide bombings and sniper fire, slowing the government-backed advance.

Fighting on Sunday killed at least 10 IS fighters and eight pro-government fighters around Sirte, the unity government in Tripoli said.

With inputs from Reuters.