The marriage documents were posted Wednesday on the Facebook page of a Libyan anti-IS operation known as al-Bonyan al-Marsous, and were stamped by a judge in a Sirte religious court. The Facebook post says the documents were found in the Sirte courthouse. It was not immediately possible to verify their authenticity. The surnames of the brides and grooms suggest many were from African countries such as Nigeria, Senegal, Mali and Tunisia. Libyan forces loyal to the United Nations-brokered government have waged a campaign to dislodge IS from Sirte since June.

Source: New York Times September 21, 2016 10:52 UTC