UK Special Forces 'Blow Up IS Suicide Truck'

British special forces have been praised for saving lives after reportedly blowing up an Islamic State (IS) "suicide truck" in Libya earlier this month.

UK forces fired a missile at a truck, doubling up as a bomb, as it approached a bridge towards the city of Misrata, destroying the vehicle, a Libyan military commander has been quoted as saying.

Commander Durat of Misrata's Third Force militia told The Times the incident happened on 12 May, with UK forces taking decisive action.

He described how special forces calculated the co-ordinates and ranges required for a successful attack, saying the explosion "blew up the suicide truck with a huge explosion, the biggest we have seen yet".

"Our British friends seemed quite calm about it that day," Commander Durat said, adding that no Libyan militia forces were killed in the explosion.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Sky Kiley said: "We have reported on the presence of British Special Forces in Libya for some time. 

"They are equipped to defend themselves and those they are working with and quite naturally would defend their allies against a suicide attack using an armoured truck since they have the right weapons to do this.

"The Libyans don't have the sort of weapons needed to do this.

"But it is clear that however much European leaders don't want to send troops on the ground, some ground troops are a tactical necessity and the numbers will grow."

It is estimated that there are between 3,000 and 6,000 IS fighters in Libya, with UN experts warning the militant group has "significantly expanded" its territory in the North African state. 

Last month, a Foreign Office spokesman said the UK is focused on training Libyan security forces and has no plans to deployground troops.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it does not comment on special forces operations, but reports of the incident led some MPs to express concern about the role of British forces in the country.

Crispin Blunt, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, told The Sun: "The convention that we don't comment on special forces operations or seek parliamentary authorisation will be undermined if they are used as conventional forces."

Earlier this year UN sanctions monitors said IS was exploiting a power vacuum in the country and warned the group was becoming "increasingly attractive to foreign fighters."