Weekly Eye on ISIS in Libya Update – September 5, 2016

ISIS In Action
In Sirte, the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Misratan-led al-Bunyan al-Marsus (BM) forces continued to make more gains against the Islamic State (ISIS). On 30 August they fully took control of the ‘first’ residential area, and on 2 September they moved against the last remaining ‘third’ residential area. On 31 August PM Fayez al Serraj and some members of the GNA Presidential Council travelled to Sirte, entering the liberated Ouagadougou complex, which only two weeks ago had served as the ISIS in Libya HQ. The Misratan forces have come across some fascinating documents left behind by ISIS fighters, reportedly revealing direct links and cooperation between ISIS in Sirte and jihadists from the Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council (BRSC), who are fighting the Libyan National Army (LNA) in eastern Libya.
al-Bunyan al-Marsus is also thought to be considering the appointment of a military governor for Sirte, under the command of the Presidential Council (PC). The LNA’s Martial law arrangements in eastern Libya seem to be gaining in popularity due to the system’s apparent success in establishing relative security and facilitating local governance. The PC may chose to implement a similar model by which to control Sirte post-ISIS.
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. To read the Eye on ISIS in Libya Team’s blog post about the actions of other jihadi actors, click here. And to read their explanation of 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. To subscribe to receive this report weekly into your inbox, sign up on the subscribe page.