Arab League to meet on confronting Daesh in Libya

Cairo - The internationally recognised Libyan government based in the country's east asked for the meeting, urging Arab countries to "adopt measures to confront" Daesh.

The Arab League will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to discuss a Libyan request for Arab countries to take action against the Daesh group in Sirte, a diplomat said on Sunday.
The internationally recognised Libyan government based in the country's east asked for the meeting on Saturday urging Arab countries to "adopt measures to confront" the militant group.
Later that day, it issued a statement calling for Arab air strikes against the militants, but it was not clear if it submitted a formal demand to the Arab League and whether the bloc would discuss such action.
Tuesday's meeting will be held by permanent delegates to the Arab bloc, which is headquartered in Cairo, Jordan's ambassador to Egypt and Arab League representative Bisher Khasawneh told reporters.
Daesh militants had seized control of the Libyan coastal city of Sirte in June, gaining another foothold in the chaotic country torn between rival governments.
Battles to oust the militants raged since Tuesday, although the fighting was reported to have subsided on Sunday.
Daesh shelled the area, killed a senior cleric and hung the bodies of prisoners they killed over bridges. The government also called for an end to the arms embargo imposed since 2011.
The militants beheaded 12 local militiamen who had been battling them in the east of the city and hung their bodies on crosses, official news agency LANA reported on Saturday.
Egypt and the UAE had conducted a few air strikes in Libya over the past few years, targeting Daesh militants and militias opposed to the internationally recognised government.
 

• MENA