4 Indians have been held near Libya's Sirte town: Officials

NEW DELHI: India's foreign ministry says four Indian nationals have been detained near the Libyan city of Sirte but declined to say who had held the men.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters Friday that the four men were held at a checkpoint about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Sirte. The area is under the control of Islamic State militants.

The men had been teaching in Libya.

Libya is bitterly divided between an elected parliament and government based in the eastern city of Tobruk, with little power on the ground, and an Islamist militia-backed government in the capital, Tripoli. Hundreds of militias operate in the country and are aligned with either side or battling on their own for power and turf.

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