IS in Action
IS-sympathetic telegram accounts are reported to be accusing the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC) of having a deal with the Libyan National Army to allow its fighters to flee to Derna after being removed from the Sidi Khrebish district in central Benghazi.
Near Sirte, Government of National Accord (GNA) affiliated Misratan al-Bunyan al-Marsous forces continue to remove IEDs left over by IS’s occupation of the city, with photos being published showing the dismantling of a 155mm shell
Other Jihadi Actors
On 28 December, the Libyan National Army (LNA) announced the full purge of jihadist forces from Benghazi. This follows on from clashes, arrests, and airstrikes on the Sidi Khrebish district in central Benghazi by LNA affiliated forces in the last week. The announcement comes six months after the LNA initially declared the city liberated.
On 29 December, the city of Derna reportedly received some of the retreating jihadists affiliated with the Free Libya Martyrs Brigade, a militia which is part of the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC) and Ansar al-Sharia coalition that has been fighting the LNA since 2014. Although many local sources inside the city deny the reports, the brigade leader, Mohammed Sallabi, issued the statement on the internet saying that the withdrawal was necessary to save the remaining lives of the jihadists.
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 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.
 |