US flies air strikes against militants in Libya

WASHINGTON — The United States launched multiple air strikes against Islamic State militants in Libya on Monday, opening a new, more aggressive front against the group at the request of the U.N.-backed government, officials said.

Fayez Serraj, the head of the U.N.-brokered presidency council, said in a televised statement that American warplanes attacked the Islamic State bastion of Sirte on the Mediterranean in northern Libya.

In a statement, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said President Obama authorized the strikes after a recommendation from Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.