Category: Libya

Weekly Eye on ISIS in Libya Update – May 2, 2017

Posted on by libyaanalysis

ISIS in Action and Other Jihadi Actors
British daily newspaper The Guardian reported on 28 April that since late 2015, several Islamic State (ISIS) fighters may have infiltrated into Italy disguised as wounded Libyan fighters. The paper quotes an Italian intelligence document which claims ISIS fighters took advantage of a scheme called the Comitato Assistenza Feriti Libici (Centre for the Support of Injured Libyans) to apply for special visas, which allow wounded fighters to receive medical treatment in Europe. Wounded fighters are most commonly sent to hospitals in Turkey. Italian intelligence believes ISIS fighters presented false passports to medical personnel in Misrata, claiming to be members of the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC). The article goes on to claim that Misrata is the headquarters for smuggling fighters from Libya to other countries, and where the fraudulent issue of passports for fighters takes place.
Intermittent clashes between Libyan National Army (LNA) forces and jihadists are ongoing in Sabri and Souq al-Hout in central Benghazi, with two LNA fighters killed last week. On 26 April, the LNA conducted 10 airstrikes against jihadist positions. Jihadists in Benghazi counter LNA airstrikes with demolitions targeting infrastructure. On 26 April, jihadists demolished the third bridge between Sidi Youness area and Sabri, and on 28 April they brought down an iconic high rise flat in the city centre near the port.  On 27 April, Ansar al-Sharia’s Talot Foundation, operating under the banner of the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC), claimed responsibility for the demolition of several bridges in the Sabri area over the last few weeks. On 1 May, one civilian was killed and two others injured when several rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) hit Benghazi’s Leithi district.
On 29 April, a new video was published showing Wissam Bin Hamid, the BRSC leader rumored to have been killed in 2016, appealing to his followers. In the video, Bin Hamid laments the lack of support received by jihadists from many Libyan cities, but promises a comeback.  A high profile al-Qaeda leader from Derna has reportedly been handed over to the LNA following his transfer from Turkey to Jordan, then from Jordan to Libya. The man in question is most likely Abdul Basset Azouz, who was apprehended on 13 November 2014 by Turkish authorities.
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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 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.
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Weekly Eye on ISIS in Libya Update – April 25, 2017

Posted on by libyaanalysis

ISIS in Action and Other Jihadi Actors

On 23 April, Abdullah Dabbashi, a Libyan ISIS leader was reportedly killed in Sabratha while in Benghazi, the LNA claimed that ISIS fighter Mohammed al-Moghrabi had not been executed as thought. A video which purportedly showed the execution of Randa was released on 24 February by the LNA’s Tariq Ibn Ziyad Brigade. The LNA claims it staged his widely condemned execution video as part of an intelligence operation to track and arrest ISIS collaborators in Benghazi. The LNA claims that 54 people have already been detained as a result of Randa’s confessions, reportedly including some LNA fighters who were informing ISIS of the LNA’s movements, and supplying weapons and ammunition to the jihadists.

The Libyan National Army (LNA) has started to build-up its forces in preparation to launch a ‘final’ assault against the jihadists, beginning with intensive airstrikes against their positions every day last week. On 20 April, jihadists in Sabri and Souq al-Hout blew up a bridge providing access to the area in attempt to reinforce their positions against an LNA assault. The first LNA advance into Sabri was made on 21 April, where LNA fighters briefly clashed with the jihadists. In an intelligence operation last week the LNA arrested Hamza Mustafa al-Shelwi, one of the leaders of the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC), in addition to Abdussalam Layas, who is reported to be a former ISIS member.

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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 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.
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New statement from Majlis Shūrā al-Mujāhidīn Darnah: "The First Anniversary Since the Liberation of the City From the 'State' Organization'"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

Islamist militias created a joint Shura Council of Derna region. Claim support for Benghazi Shura Council. #Libya
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Majlis Shūrā al-Mujāhidīn Darnah — The First Anniversary Since the Liberation of the City From the ‘State’ Organization’
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Source: Telegram

To inquire about a translation for this statement for a fee email: [email protected]

Weekly Eye on Jihadis in Libya Update – April 19, 2017

Posted on by libyaanalysis

ISIS in Action and Other Jihadi Actors

Ahmidah Al-Safrani, Abd Al-Hadi Zarqun, and Hammam Hamani were identified by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Public Affairs (OFAC) on 13 April, as Libyan-based financial facilitators of the Islamic State (IS). OFAC has implemented sanctions on these individuals freezing their assets and prohibiting business with US nationals. Sabri and Souq al-Hout, both adjacent to the port in the centre of Benghazi are the only remaining areas controlled by the loose jihadist coalition of Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council (BRSC) and IS fighters. The Libyan National Army (LNA) maintains an aerial and naval blockade in the area and the current dip in clashes will likely be short lived as these areas have been an epicenter of fighting for over two years. On 15 April, reinforcements from the southern Libya Shield forces, led by Islamist commander Ahmed Abdul Jalil Al-Hasnawi, arrived at Temenhint airbase to back up the Government of National Accord (GNA)-affiliated forces, including the Misratan Third Force and the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB), in their battle against the Libyan National Army (LNA). On 16 April, militias affiliated with Khalifa Al-Ghwell, announced that they are joining the BDB and the Misratan Third Force, to join in the fight against the LNA in the South. Despite the announcement, there is no evidence of their deployment yet. On 17 April, the LNA led an airstrike on the BDB base south of Sirte. Former Bunyan al-Marsus forces have mobilized to Sirte, where they are functionally aligned with the BDB, causing concern about the possibility of a BDB counter attack against the LNA. Ongoing conflict between the LNA and the GNA’s Misratan-led Third Force in Southern Libya could spill back over onto the initial battle ground of the Oil Crescent. In Derna on 14 April, the LNA targeted Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC) positions south of the city with a new volley of airstrikes; the LNA aerial and naval blockade in Derna continues. — To read about the international community’s responses to jihadis in Libya this week, click here.  To read the Eye on ISIS team’s 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. Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001

New statement from Sarāyā al-Dafā’ ‘an Binghāzī: "Reply To The Report Of The United Nation's Mission To Libya Addressed To The General Secretary of the United Nations"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

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Arabic:
Sarāyā al-Dafā’ ‘an Binghāzī — Reply To The Report Of The United Nation’s Mission To Libya Addressed To The General Secretary of the United Nations
English:
Sarāyā al-Dafā’ ‘an Binghāzī — Reply To The Report Of The United Nation’s Mission To Libya Addressed To The General Secretary of the United Nations (En)
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Source: Telegram

Check out my new article in The CTC Sentinel: "Fifteen Years After The Djerba Synagogue Bombing"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin
Abstract: Fifteen years ago this month, a Tunisian operative named Nizar Nawar detonated a truck bomb outside the el-Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, killing 19, including 16 German and French tourists. Orchestrated by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, it was al-Qa`ida’s first successful international attack after 9/11, but it has received far less attention than other attacks launched by the group. Court documents, case files, and primary sources shed significant new light on the attack and al-Qa`ida’s then modus operandi for international attack planning, which has both similarities and differences with recent international terrorist plots carried out by the Islamic State. In retrospect, the Djerba attack should have been a warning sign of the international threat posed by Tunisian foreign fighters, who are now one of the most dangerous cohorts within the Islamic State. On April 11, 2002, a Tunisian al-Qa`ida operative named Nizar Bin Muhammad Nasar Nawar (Sayf al-Din al-Tunisi) ignored security officers’ orders to stop and drove a truck filled with liquid propane into the wall of el-Ghriba Synagogue, one of Africa’s oldest Jewish synagogues, in Djerba, Tunisia.1 Masterminded by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM),a the attack killed 14 Germans, three Tunisians, and two Frenchmen and left 30 others injured. Although it was al-Qa`ida’s first successful external operation following the 9/11 attacks, little has been written about how the attack materialized. It is one of the only large-scale, post-9/11 attacks or plots that has not been given a full retrospective treatment based on information that has been gleaned since its execution.2 Additionally, in light of the current Islamic State external operation campaign, it is worth examining how the Djerba bombing compares to more recent terrorist attacks in order to shed light on the evolution of terrorist attack planning. This article draws on court documents, media reports, Guantanamo Bay prisoner review files, and Arabic primary sources from the jihadi movement to tell the story of the attack. While there is much contradictory information, the author has attempted to piece together what really happened by cross-referencing sources and weighing their credibility. While many scholars and general observers were surprised at the number of Tunisians who became involved with jihadism following the country’s revolution, this study of the network behind the Djerba attack makes clear that Tunisians have, in fact, played a significant role in the global jihadi movement for decades. Equally relevant to understanding the contemporary threat picture, this article sheds light on the longstanding importance of entrepreneurial individuals who link different nodes of networks together.3 Click here to read the article in full.