Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Sarāyā al-Dafā’ ‘an Binghāzī — Statement #23
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Source: Telegram
To inquire about a translation for this statement for a fee email: [email protected]
ISIS in Action and Other Jihadi Actors
According to local sources, on 24 May militias clashed with ISIS fighters near Bani Walid. Four ISIS fighters were killed. ISIS fighters are still active in the area after dispersing into the desert south-west of Sirte following their defeat at the hands of the Misratan-led al-Bunyan al-Marsus forces last year. Locals report that these ISIS cells are surviving by raiding trucks and ambushing travellers in this area. They reportedly have encampments in locations near Abu Grien, Jufra and al-Shuwerif. Three weeks ago, ISIS fighters killed two members of the large Misratan 13th Battalion (formerly Third Force) and injured three in an ambush between Jufra and Sirte.
In Tripoli, the Government of National Accord (GNA) – aligned RADA Special Forces arrested the brother and father of Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi. RADA said that Hashem Abedi, the 20-year-old brother of the alleged bomber, had been under observation for over a month and issued a statement saying that Hashem had confessed that both he and his brother Salman were members of ISIS. Hasham allegedly also admitted that he had known the details of the Manchester bombing and had been planning to assassinate the UN Special Envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler. Ramadan Abedi, the father, who is alleged to have been a former member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, was also seized.
On 26 May, Egypt conducted six airstrikes against targets in Derna, supposedly in retaliation for the massacre of 28 Coptic Christians in Egypt’s Minya province the same day. The attack was claimed by ISIS. Further airstrikes were launched on 29 May. Targets included the city’s power station and the electricity distribution network. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said the air strikes in Derna had targeted fighters responsible for plotting the Minya attack, and that Egypt would not hesitate to carry out additional strikes inside and outside the country. However, Derna is controlled by the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC) which fought against ISIS. ISIS was driven out of Derna two years ago.
On 28 May, the spokesperson for Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) Colonel Ahmed Mesmari said that the LNA was coordinating with Egypt’s military over the air strikes. The Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) praised the Egyptian airstrikes on Derna, while the Government of National Accord (GNA) condemned them as a gross violation of Libya’ sovereignty. During a press conference in Cairo on 29 May, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said jihadist training camps in Libya were a huge threat to Egypt and that Egypt had targeted the bases of these organizations in full coordination with the LNA. The Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was also at the press conference.
On 27 May, Ansar al-Sharia (AS) officially announced that it had disbanded itself. AS’s leadership and fighting force has been weakened over the last three years through its fight against the Libyan National Army (LNA). The disbanding statement is significant because it may undermine the ideological conviction of fighters still allied with AS under the umbrella of the Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council (BRSC). The final remnants of AS, along with the BRSC and ISIS, are besieged in their last two Benghazi enclaves of Sabri and Souq al-Hout. Interestingly, pro-ISIS media accounts celebrated AS’s disbanding as ‘inevitable’ and criticized the group for failing to unify its loyalties under the ISIS banner.
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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.
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Anṣār al-Sharī’ah in Libya — The Message Has Arrived and the Group of the People Will Carry It
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Source: Telegram
To inquire about a translation for this statement for a fee email: [email protected]
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Majlis Shūrā al-Mujāhidīn Darnah: “The Blessed Month of Ramaḍān .. Congratulations to Our Noble People .. And an Admonition to the Aggressors .. And a Response to the Deceivers”
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Source: Telegram
After Libyan British jihadi Salman Abedi killed twenty-two people in Manchester earlier this week, a friend of his noted that he had just returned from a three-week trip to Libya only days before the bombing. Although British investigators have yet to uncover or disclose publicly that the twenty-two-year-old suspect joined the Islamic State or received training while in Libya, his brother reportedly admitted that they were with IS following his arrest earlier today in Tripoli. In addition, IS has claimed responsibility for the bombing, and the French government has since revealed that Abedi traveled to Syria as well, raising concerns that the attack was the group’s first directed operation from Libya into Europe. If so, it reiterates the dangers of foreign fighter training abroad. It also puts the spotlight on the flow of foreign fighters to Libya, which many have understandably ignored due to the even larger flows seen in Iraq and Syria.
Click here to read the rest.
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Majlis Shūrā al-Mujāhidīn Darnah — The Judicial Institutions- A Call to Activate.jpg
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Source: Telegram
IS in Action and Other Jihadist Actors
On 14 May, three fuel trucks were seized by IS fighters on the road from Abu Grien to Jufra, the same road where the IS attack on Misratan fighters took place on 7 May. The hijacking took place near the Great Man Made River crossing at Wadi Bey, south west of Sirte, close to where US airstrikes hit an IS camp in February.
Local sources say that leaders of the Government of National Accord (GNA) aligned Misratan al-Bunyan al-Marsus forces that fought against IS in Sirte received threats from IS social media and phone accounts. Messages accused them of being “infidels assisting imperialists” and that IS’s next operation would be called ‘Hadm al-Aswar fe Ard al-Mukhtar’, translated as ‘Breaking the Walls in the Land of [Omar] al-Mukhtar’. IS messages reportedly stated that IS sleeper cells were ‘awake’ in the mountainous desert regions and reminded them of IS’s feats in Mosul following their re-emergence after the sahwa and surge, as published in their video ‘Salil al-Sawarem #4’ a few years ago.
Libyan National Army (LNA) forces continued to launch heavy airstrikes against jihadist fighters besieged in Sabri and Souq al-Hout in Benghazi last week. On 12 May, Noor al-Din al-Talhi, a Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC) fighter and former member of Libya Shield 1 brigade, was reportedly killed in Souq al-Hout in Benghazi during a battle with the LNA. According to local sources, al-Talhi was the administrator for the social media account ‘Al-Shaab Kollah Kan Fe Al-Jabha’ and has younger siblings also fighting with jihadists in Benghazi.
On 13 May, Faraj Juma al-Sallabi, a member of the BRSC and Libya Shield 1 brigade, was killed in the fighting. Sallabi’s family members hold prominent positions in the BRSC alliance. His younger brother Mohammed (aka Jeryo) was head of the Shield’s internal security office in Souq al-Hout. He was injured in 2015 during a battle with the LNA. Another brother Malek also fought as part of the BRSC alliance. Their elder brother Abdullah Sallabi took care of medical arrangements for Libya Shield fighters in Egypt during the 2011 uprisings and is now reportedly operating in Tunis.
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Majlis Shūrā al-Mujāhidīn Darnah — The Military Official and Member of Majlis Shūrā the Mujāhid Brother Jād Allah al-Manṣūrī- The March of Jihād and Good Conclusion
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Source: Telegram
تابع المكتب السياسي لسرايا الدفاع عن بنغازي التصريحات الخطيرة التي أدلى بها “محمد سيالة” مسؤول الخارجية والتعاون الدولي في النظام السابق، والمكلف بها الآن من قبل حكومة الوفاق المقترحة من بعثة الأمم المتحدة! حيث أكّد في اجتماع دول الجوار بالجزائر، على وصف مجرم الحرب “حفتر” بالقائد العام للجيش الليبي!
(متجاهلا أو مؤيدا) لما قام به “حفتر” من إجرام في حق ثورة فبراير وثوارها!
-أوليس “حفتر” ومليشياته هم من حاربوا الثوار في بنغازي ونبشوا قبورهم، ومثلوا بجثث الثوار والحرائر العالقات في قنفودة؟! فهل جهل “سيالة” هذه الانتهاكات أم تراه أيدها؟
-أوليس “حفتر” ومليشياته هم من حاصروا مدينة درنة ومنعوا عنها دخول أدنى مقومات الحياة، وقصفوا أهلها بالطائرات بعد أن أمّنوا هروب الدواعش منها!
-أوليس “حفتر” وميليشياته هم من قصفوا وقتلوا الثوار في الجنوب في الجفرة، وسبها، وقاعدة تمنهنت وجلبوا مرتزقة العدل والمساواة لقتل أبناء ليبيا؟!
أوليس “حفتر” ومليشياته هم من قصفوا الثوار في طرابلس ومطار امعيتيقة مرارا ؟!
أوليسوا هم من قصفوا المطار ومصنع الحديد والصلب في مدينة مصراتة؟! وقصفوا الثوار في مدينة غريان ومدينة زوارة؟!
أترى جهل “سيالة” كل هذه الجرائم أم أن تأييده لها جعله يؤكد أن وصفه المجرم حفتر بالقائد العام لا غبار عليه!
إننا في المكتب السياسي للسرايا إذ نستنكر بأشد العبارات ما جاء على لسان “سيالة” ونرفض رفضا قاطعا تصريحه جملة وتفصيلا، نعجب كل العجب مما تقوم به حكومة الوفاق من اجتماعات ولقاءات مريبة مع طرف واحد من أطراف النزاع في ليبيا، وإعراضها عن الأطراف الأخرى!
ما يجعلها في دائرة الانحياز لذلك الطرف، ومحاولة إرضائه رغم إجرامه وولوغه في دماء أبناء ليبيا..
عليه:
– فإننا نؤكد رفضنا التام لوصف مجرم الحرب “حفتر” بالقائد العام ووصف مليشياته بالجيش الليبي! ومحاولات إضفاء الشرعية على ما يقوم به هذا المجرم ومليشياته من مجازر وانتهاكات وتهجير لآلاف الأسر الليبية، كما نؤكد أن سرايا الدفاع وجلّ كتائب ثوار فبراير تعتبر بناء وتفعيل الجيش الحقيقي الذي يحمي الوطن والمواطن من أولى الأولويات.
– نشدد على من أراد الوفاق فعلاً أن يكون على مسافة واحدة من الجميع، وأن لا يحابي طرفا على حساب آخر، وأن يعمل بشكل جدي لوقف نزيف الدم في البلاد، إذ لم نرَ التزاما حقيقيا بأبرز ما تم التوقيع عليه في الصخيرات وهو وقف إطلاق النار في بنغازي والمدن الأخرى، بل نجد تكريم ومجاملة من يقوم بجرائم الحرب في بنغازي وغيرها من المدن!
كما نرفض أي إقصاء لمهجري بنغازي في حل أزمة مدينتهم، أو محاولة فرض واقع سياسي عليهم دون اعتبار لمطالبهم وضمانات رجوعهم إلى بيوتهم سالمين.
-ندعوا جميع الثوار الأحرار، إلى ترك النزاعات، ونبذ الفرقة وأسبابها، وجمع الكلمة، ورأب الصدع، والوقوف صفا واحدا لمواجهة التحديات والتصدي للمشروع الانقلابي.
{والله غالب على أمره}
المكتب السياسي لسرايا الدفاع عن بنغازي
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Source: Telegram
To inquire about a translation for this statement for a fee email: [email protected]
ISIS in Action and Other Jihadi Actors
On 7 May, ISIS’s official media arm claimed responsibility for an ambush of fighters belonging to the Government of National Accord (GNA) affiliated Misratan Third Force 100km south-west of Sirte. The Misratans were attacked in the al-Loud agricultural district as they were being transported by bus from Jufra to Misrata. Two Misratans were killed and one was injured in the assault. This is the first official operation claimed by ISIS since its defeat at the hands of the Misratan-led al-Bunyan al-Marsus coalition in Sirte in December.
Many Misratans are angry at what they see as an ‘ill-fated alliance’ between moderate Misratans and the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB). The BDB have withdrawn from Jufra to camp elsewhere in the desert south of Sirte. One of the BDB’s commanders, al-Saadi al-Nawfali, is known to have been a former leader of Ansar al-Sharia in Ajdabiya and is believed to be closely connected with Libyans who joined ISIS.
Last week, a new video was published showing the execution of an Algerian ISIS fighter by Captain Mahmood al-Werfalli, a notorious field commander of the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Saiqa Special Forces. The ISIS fighter is believed to be Milood Abu Azzaz who was captured on 6 May by LNA fighters in the Sabri area of Benghazi, as he was preparing an IED. Azzaz was handed over to Werfalli, who executed him on film ‘under Sharia proceedings’ the same day.
On 4 May, the Libyan National Army (LNA) tentatively began a ground assault against the remaining jihadist enclaves in Sabri and Souq al-Hout in central Benghazi. They met with fierce resistance from jihadist fighters who are deploying IEDs and explosives in these areas to slow down the LNA’s advance. Days earlier, the Libya Free Martyrs Brigade, one of the militias fighting under the umbrella of the Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council (BRSC), issued a statement declaring its intent to fight to the death and calling for support from allies.
On 8 May, the LNA launched its full assault against the jihadist enclaves and LNA fighters have reportedly taken Benghazi port and a number of areas in Souq al-Hout. A medical source said hospitals had received 12 LNA dead and 20 wounded since the new offensive began. On 5 May, an LNA commando force managed to sneak into Derna Mujahadeen Shura Council (DMSC) held territory south of Derna and destroyed a DMSC tank with explosives.
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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.
