BREAKING NEWS

Libyan gov't urges factions to hold off attacking ISIS-held city

TRIPOLI - Libya's UN-backed unity government called on Thursday on military factions to hold off from any campaign against the Islamic State-controlled city of Sirte until a unified military command structure is created.
The statement came amid signs that factions from both eastern and western Libya could be gearing up for an advance on Sirte though such operations have repeatedly been announced in recent months without taking place.
Islamic State has held Sirte since 2015, taking advantage of a conflict between loose alliances of armed brigades allied to Libya's rival governments to seize a 250 km (155 miles) strip of coastline around the central Mediterranean city, which lies between the eastern and western power bases.