Category: AQIM

On 27 January, a Tunisian government delegation travelled to the Libyan Red Crescent branch in Misrata to complete repatriation procedures for children whose Tunisian parents fought for IS in Sirte. The children have been housed in the Care and Custody unit of the Misrata Red Crescent branch since December 2016.

Other Jihadi Actors

On 27 January, the Libyan National Army (LNA) claim to have killed al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) field commander Adel Ahmad al-Abdali (aka Abu Az-Zubeir al-Libi) during a raid by Deterrence Forces on suspected terrorists in the Hijarah area of Sebha. In the assault, a suspect detonated a suicide explosive device. Al-Abdali has been linked to the Syrian jihadi group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra.

On 24 January, Anti-Terror Forces in Misrata arrested a terror suspect, Ali Amin, between Wadi Ka’am and Zliten. Amin is believed to have been involved in the murder of Aqeed Naji Awami and is thought to have participated in operations in Derna and Benghazi.

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

On 17 January, the Libyan National Army (LNA) claimed to have killed the commander of IS’s desert brigades and the head of its “Soldiers and Military Diwan,” Mahdi Rajab Danqou (aka Abu al-Barakat) in al-Shaati. Danqou’s death remains unconfirmed and it has been suggested that he remains at large. Senior al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) member Abdelmonem al-Hasnawi (aka Abu Tallha al-Libi) and an Egyptian named Abdullah al-Dusouki were also reported to have been killed along with Danqou.

On 17 January, the Libyan Red Crescent branch in Misrata called on the Tunisian government to accept six children whose Tunisian parents fought for ISIS in Sirte in 2016. The children’s relatives have been in direct contact with the Red Crescent to facilitate the transfer. In a joint press conference with the Misrata Municipal Council and al-Bunyan al-Marsous forces, the representative of the Red Crescent, Faisal Jalwal, stated that the process had been taxing and unique in its circumstances.

Other Jihadi Actors

On 17 January, the Libyan National Army (LNA) claimed to have killed senior al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) member Abdelmonem al-Hasnawi (aka Abu Tallha al-Libi) during raids in southern Libya. Al-Hasnawi’s death remains unconfirmed and has been reported on previous occasions, such as in November 2016 following airstrikes. IS-linked al-Mahdi Rajab Danqou (aka Abu al-Barakat), and an Egyptian named Abdullah al-Dusouki were also reported to have been killed in the raid.

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.

On 8 December, IS executed six of the ten men they abducted from the town of Fuqaha on 28 October after their demands to release their comrades was rejected by the Libyan National Army (LNA).

On 3 December, IS released a eulogy for Abu Abdallah al-Ansar in its “Caravan for Martyrs”. Al-Ansar was a member of ISIS ‘s branch in eastern Libya, Wilayat Barqah.

Other Jihadi Actors

On 6 December, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released a statement denying any links to those killed in the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) air strikes on 29 November near al-Uwaynat.

On 29 November, AFRICOM, in coordination with the Government of National Accord (GNA), conducted an airstrike killing eleven AQIM members and destroying three vehicles near al-Uwaynat, close to the Algerian border, in southern 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.