Libyan authorities: 42 bodies discovered in mass grave

By RAMI MUSA
Associated Press

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Libya’s Missing Persons Authority has announced the discovery of some 42 bodies buried in a former stronghold of the ousted Islamic State group. The bodies were exhumed from a mass grave following a “tip off” from an investigation conducted with incarcerated Islamic State fighters. Sirte fell under Islamic State control between 2015 and 2016, as the extremist group sought to profit from the chaos that has long engulfed the oil-rich country. Samples of the corpses’ blood, teeth and bones have been collected to identify the missing victims. Several mass graves have been uncovered across Libya in recent years. The country was plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.