A Dutch journalist has been killed while covering a government-backed offensive against the Isis jihadist group in the city of Sirte, a medical official has said.

Photojournalist Jeroen Oerlemans was shot in the chest by an Isis militant, according to the AFP news agency.

Dr Akram Gliwan, spokesman for a hospital in Misrata where pro-government fighters are treated, said the photographer was “shot in the chest by an IS sniper while covering battles in Sirte,” 280 miles east of Tripoli.

Mr Gliwan added that his body had been transferred to Misrata, 200 kilometres west of Isis’s Libyan stronghold of Sirte.

Mr Oerlemans had been working in Libya for a number of organisations, including the Belgian weekly Knack magazine, which confirmed his death.

A message posted on Knack's website said Mr Oerlemans was shot on a reporting assignment and that the publication “wishes his family much strength”.

Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord launched an assault against the jihadist bastion in May.

The Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous media office revealed its forces lost eight fighters in the fight against Isis militants Sunday, in addition to more than 50 injuries, according to the Libyan Express.

The report also stated that 10 Isis terrorists were also killed in Sunday attacks.

In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Isis fighters parade through in Sirte in 2015 In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Islamic State (IS) group jihadists on the outskirts of Libya's western city of Sirte AFP/Getty In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte A photo of a billboard in Sirte, Libya, listing seven rules for women's clothing, saying they must be loose-fitting and undecorated HRW/social media In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Isis militants process down a street in the coastal city of Sirte in Libya this week; the group has heralded Libya as its ‘strategic gateway’ to attack Europe AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte An Isis lecture on Sharia at the Ouagadougou complex in Sirte, Libya, in 2016. HRW/social media In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte A sign reading "The city of Sirte, under the shadow of Sharia" as smoke rises in the background while forces aligned with Libya's new unity government advance on the eastern and southern outskirts of the Islamic State stronghold of Sirte on 9 June. Reuters In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Fighters loyal to Libya's GNA prepare to launch attacks against Isis as they continue their resistance on the outskirts of the western city of Sirte Getty In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government are seen during clashes with jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) on the western outskirts of Sirte on June 2, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government fire during clashes with Isis around 14 miles west of Sirte on June 2, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Libya

Isis took control of Sirte – Gaddafi's hometown – last year. The militant group turned the city into its North African stronghold, extending its control along Libya's coastline.

A recent report by the UK’s Foreign Affairs Committee claimed Britain’s intervention in Libya and the chaos and bloodshed that ensued sparked helped strengthen Isis and al-Qaeda, as well as fuelling conflicts across Africa and the Middle East.