Islamic State and Libya Dawn militants beheaded 17 people, 14 of them soldiers, at a checkpoint in southern Libya on Jan. 2, army sources said, Libyan website Al-Wasat reported Jan. 3. The website also said the attack was carried out on members of Battalion 168, which guard the checkpoint on the Sawknah crossroads in the Bu-Shuwayrif municipality. The attack comes as the Islamic State seeks to establish new footholds throughout the region.