GUEST POST: Heretics, Pawns, and Traitors: Anti-Madkhali Propaganda on Libyan Salafi-Jihadi Telegram

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Heretics, Pawns, and Traitors: Anti-Madkhali Propaganda on Libyan Salafi-Jihadi Telegram

By Nathan Vest

On January 23, 2019, a Libyan salafi-jihadi Telegram channel posted a photo of a Libyan National Army (LNA) fighter reportedly killed in the eastern city of Derna.i The Telegram channel claimed that the deceased fighter belonged to a movement of salafis, colloquially known as Madkhalis after their spiritual leader—Saudi cleric Rabiՙa al-Madkhali. The Madkhali fighter is just one of the many killed in a sub-conflict within Libya’s civil war, pitting salafi-jihadis against traditionalist salafis, who are sometimes described as “quietest” for their avoidance of conflict with the state.1

Since 2014, both sides have experienced waxing and waning fortunes; however, following victories in Benghazi, Sirte, and Derna, the Madkhalis are the ascendant faction. Subsequently, Libya’s salafi-jihadis are attempting to regroup and reverse Madkhali gains, and their efforts will largely depend on their ability to restore their diminished popular support. In line with these efforts, Libyan salafi-jihadis have taken to social media, particularly the messaging platform Telegram, to gain ideological and national legitimacy over the Madkhalis by portraying their traditionalist rivals as un-Islamic agents of foreign interests and traitors to Libya’s 17 February Revolution.

Salafi-jihadis and traditionalist Madkhalis may share ultra-conservative views, such as strictly applying Shariՙa law in everyday life, morally policing the public sphere, and returning Islam to its purist form, during and immediately following the life of the Muslim Prophet Muhammed. However, salafi-jihadis and traditionalists salafis diverge on the medium through which they pursue their socio-religious objectives. Whereas salafi-jihadis, as their title suggests, condone waging violent jihad against despotic regimes and their foreign backers, traditionalist salafis espouse the tenet of wali al-amr, or loyalty to the communal leader or head of state. While salafi-jihadis are quick to pronounce fellow Muslims as unbelievers and use violence to overthrow what they see as corrupt, despotic systems, traditionalist salafis abhor fitna, or intra-communal chaos and violence. Therefore, theyrefuse to disavow regimes and instead work through them to propagate their salafi ideologies. As such, regimes, including the Gaddafi regime and the Sisi regime in Egypt, often work by, with, and through traditionalist salafi movements. In doing so, they attempt to avert the argument that the regimes are anti-Islamic while simultaneously undermining the potential threat of salafi-jihadis to the system, via co-optation of their traditionalist rivals. Salafi-jihadis, therefore, often view traditionalist salafis as pro-regime pawns and enemies of the true salafi cause.

As other researchers have discussed, Madkhalis have evoked wali al-amr and sided with both the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the west and Khalifa Haftar’s LNA in the east to combat salafi-jihadi terrorist organizations, most notably the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar al-Shariՙa in Libya (ASL). Since 2016, salafi-jihadi groups have suffered stinging defeats in the east, and Madkhali power is growing in the west as well. These major battlefield defeats and the Madkhalis’ rising socio-political influence have greatly shaped how Libyan salafi-jihadis discuss their traditionalist adversaries, predominantly in Telegram-based propaganda.

Depicting Madkhalis as un-Islamic and enemies of proper Islamic practices is among the most prominent themes in anti-Madkhali propaganda salafi-jihadis circulate via Telegram, constituting an ad hominem attack meant to emphasize the salafi-jihadis’ religious legitimacy. For instance, on October 5, 2018, one salafi-jihadi channel accused Madkhalis of coercively working through the GNA’s President, Fayez al-Sarraj, to replace “legitimate religious education in schools which teach the al-Maliki madhhab to make room for the Madkhalis to live in mosques and schools.”ii Another channel echoed this accusation of Madkhalis undermining “legitimate” religious education, claiming that an LNA-affiliated militia in Derna was preventing studies in the city’s schools on Thursdays, replacing the classes with Madkhali lessons.iii

Libyan salafi-jihadis’ allegations of Madkhalis’ un-Islamic machinations also extend beyond Libya’s schools and into its mosques. For instance, they have also accused Madkhalis of closing Derna’s Al-Sahaba mosque, preventing locals from praying at one of the city’s most prominent religious centers.iv Additionally, while Madkhalis allegedly prevent “true” Muslims from worshiping, Madkhalis themselves are unable to pray correctly, “not knowing whether to pray or look at the camera,” one salafi-jihadi channel chided.v At other times, anti-Madkhali rhetoric is far less subtle, accusing Madkhalis of striving to “submit the tribe of Islam to the crusaders,” or western powers.vi Ergo, true Libyan Muslims must rally behind their religion’s legitimate champions—the salafi-jihadis—to save the Libyan religious sphere from heretical Madkhali domination.

Similarly, due to the Saudi origin of the Madkhali movement and their affiliation with the LNA and GNA—both backed by various international actors—salafi-jihadi Telegram channels regularly accuse Madkhalis of being agents of foreign interests—namely those of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Russia, and Libya’s former colonizer, Italy. For example, one salafi-jihadi channel affirmed that the “scope of the conspiracy which the war criminal Haftar and the Madkhalis lead in eastern Libya” is facilitated “by Emirati and Saudi support against the people of the Qur’an.”vii

The UAE, in particular, has been among Haftar’s most ardent international backers in his fight against Islamist and salafi-jihadi actors in eastern Libya. The Emiratis have reportedly provided Haftar’s LNA with arms and training, according to the UN Panel of Experts on Libya. The UAE is also allegedly expanding the Al-Khadem air field in eastern Libya from which it could base larger fighter jets, such as the F-16 or Mirage 2000, in addition to the AT-802 Air Tractors and Wing-Loong drones already housed there. Reportedly, the UAE has deployed the Air Tractors and drones, flown by mercenary pilots, to conduct sorties in eastern Libya, and salafi-jihadi Telegram channels regularly reported drones, likely belonging to the UAE, flying missions over Derna.viii

Libyan salafi-jihadi Telegram channels have also attempted to demonize their Madkhali rivals by associating them with their former Italian colonizers, who brutally ruled Libya from 1911 to 1947. In one such post, a salafi-jihadi channel posted a photo of alleged Madkhalis meeting with former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and suggested they provided religious sanction to Mussolini’s efforts to fight Omar al-Mukhtar, a revered anti-colonial figure among Libyans.ix The implication is that just as the Madkhalis supported fascist Italy against al-Mukhtar, so too do they support Italy over patriotic Libyans today.2 Another salafi-jihadi channel was even more broad brushed in its attack, accusing “crusaders, Jews, Russian atheists, and their agents” of “mobilizing Haftar and the tyrants stepping on [Libya’s] neck, who are supported by fatwas of the people of crimes, the Madkhalis.”x

Conversely, many Libyan salafi-jihadis posit themselves as “the free sons of Libya” or the “heroes of Benghazi, Derna . . . Ajdabiyya and Misrata”, starkly contrasting their steadfast devotion to the Libyan people with the “foreign agents headed by the ‘Frigate’ Government3 and Haftar.”xi While they portray both the GNA and Haftar as subservient to foreign actors, salafi-jihadis argue that they are the sole legitimate representatives of Libyan interests, for which they have fought since the 17 February Revolution.

However, despite their zeal, salafi-jihadis are reeling from their losses in the east. After more than three years of fighting, Haftar finally declared victory over the Benghazi Revolutionaries’ Shura Council (BRSC), an umbrella group comprising ASL in December 2017. Haftar did the same against the Mujahideen of Derna Shura Council (MDSC) in June 2018, although fighting continued in Derna’s old city until February 2019. A post from January 14, 2019 captured the salafi-jihadi view that the Madkhalis greatly benefited from the deterioration of their position, stating that “Madkhalis form the largest, most crucial actor in politics and daily life in the east.”xii Salafi-jihadi groups such as BRSC and MDSC attempted to cultivate a society guided by the groups’ salafi ideology. However, having been defeated by the LNA and its Madkhali elements, Libyan salafi-jihadis in the east see their rivals “forming their religious vision for society in line with external Saudi politics” and see their own image of an ideal Libyan society being upended.

Having long been suppressed by the Gaddafi regime, many salafi-jihadis in Libya saw the 17 February Revolution and the post-revolutionary space as a means of constructing a puritanical

Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: February 19

IS in Action

On 13 February, the Sirte Military Engineering Corps recovered unexploded ordnance left behind by ISIS on the Abu Hadi Road in Sirte. After closing the road for quarter of an hour, the disposal team recovered the explosive and later detonated it.

Other Jihadi Actors

On 13 February, the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) spokesperson Ahmed al-Mismari stated that military operations in Derna had concluded and called upon local citizens to assist in the removal of any jihadist sleeper cells in the city. On 13 February, LNA operations to clear Derna’s old city uncovered the bodies of Derna Protection Force (DPF) members Mohammed al-Marsi (suspected explosives expert) and Yahya Rajab Faleh al-Hasadi.

On 14 February, the Derna Intelligence Service announced that it had arrested suspected terrorist Muatasim Ahmed Bouktaouh. The announcement coincided with the discovery of the body of alleged terrorist, Walid Attia Erheem. On 14 February, the Derna Joint Security Room stated that civilians may start to return to the old city from 17 February, following the removal of the remaining DPF remnants last week.

A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here.

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Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: February 12

Other Jihadi Actors

On 9 February, the eastern-based interim government aligned with Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) announced the conclusion of military operations in Derna. In a statement, the interim government claimed that terrorists had been completely eliminated from the whole of eastern Libya. On 12 February, the 46 remaining fighters belonging to the Derna Protection Force (formerly the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council) surrendered to the LNA. Amongst those surrendering was Rasheed Abdullah (aka Hafs al-Mauritani, who was the head of the groups “Security Squad” and military commander, and Hafidh al-Dhabea’ (aka Abu Aiyoub).

Over the last week, the following Derna Protection Force members were reportedly killed or their bodies discovered in the Old City of Derna:

  • On 6 February, Ahmed Ali al-Zawi.
  • On 9 February, Osama Omran Badr.
  • On 10 February, Abdul Aziz al-Jibani and Abdel Wahab al-Shaari
  • On 11 February, the spokesman of the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council, Mohammad Idris Mansouri, along with five other members including Mohammad Denqou.
  • On 12, Essam Sa’ad Mansouri, the last emir of the Derna Branch of Ansar al-Sharia was discovered.

On 8 February, local security forces arrest terrorist suspects Kamel Azzouz and his brother in Misrata. The two are suspected of being members of al-Qaeda. The circumstances around the arrests are unclear at this time.

A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here.

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Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: February 5

IS in Action

On 31 January, Sirte-based 166 Battalion arrested a suspected leading member of IS in Libya, Khalifa al-Barq, during a raid on his home in Sirte. Unconfirmed reports suggested the operation was undertaken with foreign support, though Sirte officials have denied this.

On 27 January, the Criminal Investigation Agency of Misrata arrested prominent IS member Zakaria Saleh al-Sheikh in the Jebel al-Gharbi District of Misrata. Al-Sheikh had recently escaped from Derna.

Other Jihadi Actors

On 29 January, the Libyan National Army (LNA) arrested al-Qaeda member Alamin Ali Kalfa near Sebha. Kalfa is suspected of being involved is a series of assassinations targeting security officials. This coincides with reports that the LNA has started moving al-Qaeda and IS prisoners captured in and around Sebha to Qarnada prison in Shahat.

On 2 February, LNA forces and the Derna Protection Force (DPF) clashed in the old city area of Derna, leaving several dead. The LNA has stated it expects to announce the removal of the DPF from the area within days and complete the total liberation of the city.

A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here.

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Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: October 23

IS in Action On 20 September, the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) 128th Battalion and the Tariq Ibn Ziyad Brigade uncovered an IS camp in a cave near Harawah village, east of Sirte. During the operation security forces cleared multiple vehicle borne improvised explosive devices. The operation was conducted following information provided by Masoud Belhassen al-Nawfali (aka Jema’a Masoud Al-Hassan Al-Qarqa’i), who was captured by the 128 Brigade on October 14. Al-Nawfali is thought to be the leader of IS in the Nawfaliyah area and believed to have been involved in attacks on LNA positions in and around the Nawfaliyah and Awjlah areas. On 16 October, local security forces undertook a raid in Bani Walid, arresting three suspected IS fighters. Other Jihadi Actors On 21 October, the Commander of the Training Wing of the Derna Police Institute, Colonel Faraj Mohammad Daoud al-Hassi, survived an assassination attempt by Derna Protection Force remnants outside his home in eastern Derna. Media outlets published photos that show al-Hassi with an apparent gunshot would through his hand. A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here. Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001

Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: October 9

IS in Action Throughout last week the Sirte Protection Force (SPF) was on a state of alert following reports of the presence of IS fighters near Sirte. Several days before, the SPF posted photos of their manned checkpoints on the outskirts of the city. Other Jihadi Actors On 8 October, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Ahmed Mesmari, stated that the Libyan National Army (LNA) had captured former Egyptian Special Forces officer turned Egyptian jihadist, Hisham al-Ashmawy, in the al-Maghar neighborhood of Derna. Al-Ashmawy was captured with a suicide vest on, which he had failed to detonate. Photos published by the LNA show al-Ashmawy bloodied and receiving treatment following his arrest. Following his capture, Egyptian security officials have called for his extradition. Described by some security officials as Egypt’s most wanted man, Al-Ashmawy (also known as Abu Omar Al-Muhajir) joined the Egyptian Armed forces in the 1990s and became a member of the Egyptian Special Forces in 1996, before eventually being expelled from the military for his radicalization. He then joined a north Sinai militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis. However, when this group pledged its allegiance to IS in July 2014, Ashmawy split from the group and established his own group that became linked with al-Qaeda. Al-Ashmawy led the al-Qaeda front groups al-Mourabitoun and later Jama’at Ansar al-Islam. Al-Ashmawy is thought to have been using Derna as a safe haven from which to springboard into Egypt to launch attacks. Al-Ashmawy is accused of several attacks in Egypt including an assassination attempt on then Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim in 2013 and killing a leading Egyptian public prosecutor by car bombing in 2015. Al-Ashmawy was captured along with the wife and sons of Omar Rifai Sorour, the alleged Mufti of the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council who was killed in June of this year. He was also arrested with Bahaa Ali and Merai Abdefattah Khalil Zoghbi. Zoghbi is listed by the UN Security Council and Interpol as a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), al-Qaeda, and Ansar al-Islam. The jihadist is said to have escaped from Italy to Turkey in 2009 where he was provided political asylum. He is thought to have returned to Libya in 2011, fighting with LIFG members amongst the Rafa’a al-Sahti Brigade that would eventually become part of Ansar al-Sharia in Libya. A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here. Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001

Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: October 2

IS in Action On 30 September, the Sirte Protection Force stated that IS fighters have been observed along the coast road between Wadi al-Ahmar and Umm al-Qandil, 90 and 110 km east of Sirte respectively. Security forces have allegedly been dispatched to patrol for the group south of the Wadi al-Ahmar region. Other Jihadi Actors On 25 September, an attempt to assassinate the Dean of the Derna Municipality, Abdel-Moneim al-Ghaithi, was thwarted following the identification and dismantling of an Improvised Explosive Devise close to his room in the Pearl Hotel. Derna Protection Force (DPF) remnants are suspected of being responsible for the incident. On 26 September, the Libyan National Army (LNA) stopped a woman at a checkpoint near Zawiyat al-Urqub in Derna after she was founded to be carrying weapons, money and other documents for DPF remnants in the city. A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here. Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001

Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: September 25

IS in Action On 24 September, it was reported that as many as eight bodies belonging to the Libyan National Army and their supporters were unearthed in Derna following the confessions of alleged IS militants. The alleged IS members confessions were broadcast on Libyan television days before the recovery of the bodies. The deceased were said to have been missing from 2014. On 17 September, the Sirte Protection Force (SPF) uncovered a cache of unexploded ordnance, RPGs, and mortars abandoned by IS in the Sirte Central Clinics Complex. A spokesperson for the SPF de-mining group, Salim al-Amil, stated that the explosives were discovered amidst efforts to equip a clinical facility in the city. Other Jihadi Actors On 21 September, suspected Al-Qaeda members launched an attack using rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers on a senior security official in Sebha. On 24 September, the Libyan National Army (LNA) dismantled an Improvised explosive device (IED) in the al-Mughar district of Derna. This follows an alleged attempt by the Derna Protection Force (DPF) to set an IED beneath a LNA police vehicle in the city’s Eastern District on the 19 December. A man was injured in the incident and was taken to al-Harish hospital. Furthermore, direct clashes still continue in the city with an LNA fighter belonging to the 212 Battalion being killed in action on 24 September. A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here. Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001

Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: September 4

IS in Action On 27 August, IS fighters are reported to have briefly detained a civilian 70 km south of Sirte. The Sirte Protection Force has since raised the security levels to critical. Other Jihadi Actors On 1 September, fighting between the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the remnants of the Derna Protection Force (DPF) renewed in Derna, reportedly left 11 LNA fighters dead and 19 injured. Local news outlets reported that among the dead was senior leader Mohamed Fitour, adding that a MIG21 was hovering above the city as clashes were ongoing in Wasit Al-Blad in Derna. A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here. Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001

Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: July 24

IS in Action On 24 July, IS fighters raided a police station in al-Uqaylah, west of Brega, destroying at least two vehicles with unconfirmed reports suggesting that multiple officers were killed and at least one was beheaded. Clashes also occurred at a Libyan National Army (LNA) checkpoint 20km south of the town following the incident. Additional unconfirmed reports suggest that IS militants had actually captured al-Uqaylah for several hours. IS has since claimed responsibility for the incident. Other Jihadi Actors On 21 July, reports began emerging of confessions from Derna Protection Force (DPF) prisoners interrogated by the Libyan National Army (LNA) suggesting that Hisham Ashmawi (Abu Omar al-Muhajir al-Masri) is amongst one hundred or so Derna Protection Force (DFP) remnants isolated to small pockets of old town Derna by the LNA. Hisham Ashmawi is a former Egyptian Special Forces officer who is said to lead the al-Qaeda-linked organization Jama’at Ansar Al-Islam. A weekly update of ISIS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to ISIS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-ISIS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on ISIS in Libya report, click here. Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001