Libya: attempt to oust ISIS from Sirte fails
Russian media is carrying a report that ISIS has suppressed an attempt to push it back out of the coastal town of Sirte, publicly executing at least four of the Salafist "rebels". &nbsp;On Saturday the official Libyan Government called on fellow-Arab states to start bombing ISIS positions in Sirte.
TUNIS — Libya’s internationally recognized government appealed to Arab countries to carry out airstrikes against the local Islamic State affiliate, which is expanding its hold on the coastal city of Sirte.

The statement late Saturday came after the affiliate seized control of a new neighborhood in Sirte. The militants shelled the area, killed a senior cleric, and hung the bodies of prisoners over bridges.

‘‘The Libyan government, unable to ward off these terrorist groups because of the arms embargo, and out of its historic responsibility toward its people, calls on brotherly Arab countries . . . to launch airstrikes against specific targets of [Islamic State] locations in Sirte in coordination with our concerned bodies,’’ the statement said.