Militias in Libya Advance on ISIS Stronghold of Surt With Separate Agendas - The New Yo... - 0 views
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dvancing along the Mediterranean coast toward the Islamic State stronghold of Surt, signaling the first major assault on territory that
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reduced the length of Libyan coastline controlled by the Islamic State to 100 miles from about 150 miles
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advance did signal a new setback for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, at a time when it is already under concerted attack in Falluja, Iraq, and in parts of Syria.
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slamic State fighters have presided over a brutal rule in the city, with public executions and floggings, as well as shortages of food and medicines
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faltered badly as the unity government, which arrived in the capital, Tripoli, in March, has failed to gain broad political acceptance.
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a significant prize because its loss to the Islamic State last June was seen as a significant step in the group’s domination of the Surt region.
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such efforts are being frustrated by the tribal and personal rivalries that have fueled chaos in Libya since the fall of Colonel Qaddafi in 2011
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The coastal city is thought to be home to a majority of the Islamic State fighters in Libya, estimated to number between 3,000 and 6,500.
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the eastern branch of the country’s central bank this week announced that it had printed 4 billion Libyan dinars through a company in Russia, drawing a furious reaction from the main central bank in Tripoli.