Libyan forces battle Islamic State street-to-street in Sirte

A fighter from forces aligned with Libya's new unity government fires a weapon from atop a house on an Islamic State position in the Zaafran area in Sirte June 30, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Crouching on a rooftop, Libyan truck driver Riyad Swaid takes aim through breeze blocks at positions held by Islamic State fighters a few hundred metres away in the city of Sirte.

He and his fellow gunmen, aligned with Libya's unity government, are battling street-to-street for the strategically important coastal city on the edge the Western war against Islamic State.