Libya Army Advances on Militant Stronghold

FILE - Members of forces loyal to Libya's eastern government sit near a factory during clashes with the Shura Council of Libyan Revolutionaries, an alliance of former anti-Gaddafi rebels who have joined forces with Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia, in Bengh

Heavy fighting between the Libyan army and militant forces continues in militant-controlled areas of Benghazi, the second biggest city in the oil-rich North African nation.

Thick black smoke rose from oil and chemical tanks at the city's cement factory in Hawary district on Saturday following intense fighting between Libyan soldiers and Islamic militants.

Libyan soldiers on the frontlines in Benghazi launched an artillery attack on militants in the area on Thursday.

Benghazi was the birthplace of the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed former leader Moammar Gadhafi.