Category: Eye on ISIS in Libya

ISIS In Action The spokesperson for the Misratan-led al-Bunyan al-Marsus (BM) forces aligned with the GNA said this week that the area in Sirte controlled by ISIS fighters is ‘less than the size of a football pitch’. BM forces said they are delaying a final push into the remaining ISIS enclave in al-Jiza al-Bahriya in order to evacuate any civilians being used as human shields. They do not want to use airstrikes against ISIS positions if there is a risk of hitting civilians. US media has reported that AFRICOM is now analysing intelligence on ISIS fighters who escaped Sirte before or during the offensive and has begun laying the groundwork for expanded air attacks to follow and kill them as part of a final push by the Obama administration. US commanders are concerned that these ISIS fighters may regroup outside Sirte and elsewhere to launch pinpoint counter attacks against the BM forces. —

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.

ISIS In Action
On 14 October, BM forces stormed the ‘Campo’ area between the First and Third Residential Districts.  ISIS have been using this area to flank BM fighters as they attempt to surround ISIS’ enclave in the Third Residential District. 14 BM fighters died and 35 were injured before BM forces managed to take control of the Campo neighbourhood from ISIS fighters. On 16 October, BM forces advanced further inside al-Gizah al-Bahriya from the west. The US said it had conducted 36 airstrikes on enemy fighting positions over the weekend, bringing its total airstrikes so far in support of BM forces up to 288 in total. ISIS claimed a suicide vehicle attack on BM forces on 16 October.
On 14 October, there were reports of ISIS vehicles being present in the areas between al-Baghlah & Wadi Allod and also Wadi Jarif & Bu’ayrat al-Hasun, indicating that some ISIS forces have managed to escape safely out of the city and are still active south of Sirte. In Sebha, a key city in southern situated Libya 6ookm south of Sirte, a Saudi national and a Libyan were taken captive after they were accused of being  part of a hidden ISIS cell in the city.
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.

ISIS In Action
In Sirte, ISIS forces are still confined within the coastal residential districts of Hay Al-Gizah and 600 Flats, a small enclave of two to three square kilometres in the east of the city. ISIS fighters have heavily barricaded this area with sand blockades and trenches. On 22 September, intense clashes took place after Misratan-led Bunyan al-Marsus (BM) forces attempted a renewed push into the ISIS stronghold. BM forces suffered heavy losses: 8 fighters died and 50 were injured in the assault. The BM media centre reported neutralising three ISIS suicide vehicles before they hit their targets. The remaining ISIS fighters in Sirte are proving difficult to dislodge due to their effective use of IEDs and VBIEDs.
On the early morning of 23 September, ISIS fighters conducted a surprise assault against BM forces positioned in Sirte port.  The assault was repelled after a few hours, and the ISIS militants withdrew to their strongholds in eastern Sirte. On 24 September, local media sources reported 4 suicide vehicle attack attempts by ISIS against BM forces, but these have not yet been confirmed by the GNA-affiliated forces.
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.

ISIS In Action On 18 September, the GNA’s Misratan-led Bunyan Marsous (BM) forces resumed their ‘final’ push to destroy remaining pockets of ISIS fighters in Sirte after a two-week break. Two ISIS SVBIED’s were destroyed before they could reach their targets, while artillery targeted the coastal 3rd district where ISIS fighters are holding out.  Local sources also indicate that on a weekly basis more ISIS members from Derna are reported dead in Sirte. On 18 September, Mohamed Ghasri, a spokesperson for BM forces said “Our forces targeted hideouts of Daesh in Neighbourhood No.3’s 600 block area and Geza Bahriya with heavy artillery shelling,” Ghasri said two ISIS commanders, Hassan Karami and Walid Ferjani, had been killed in fighting inside the city, without giving details. Clashes between Misratan forces and ISIS units south of Sirte may also indicate that, as predicted, ISIS members have managed to seep south out of the city. On 14 September, ISIS claimed an attack against BM forces in Wadi Jaref, 30 km south west of Sirte. The same day, members of the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) clashed with members of ISIS in Wadi Zamzam, also south west of Sirte. ISIS released a statement last week claiming responsibility for the two vehicle explosions which took place on 9 September near the Government of National Accord (GNA) building in the Abu Setta Naval Base in Tripoli. 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.

ISIS In Action
In Sirte last week, the Misratan-led Bunyan al-Marsus (BM) forces started a slow advance on the ‘Hay al-Jiza al-Bahriya’ area, and the ‘600 flats’ residential area. They came under sustained fire from Islamic State (ISIS) snipers positioned on the roofs of the flats, as well as being targeted by several suicide bombers in vehicles. On 7 September, Libyan air force jets from the Misrata airbase launched airstrikes targeting the ‘600 flats’ and ‘al-Jiza al-Bahriya’ areas, supported by American airstrikes. The last remnants of ISIS are now reportedly cornered in these areas after losing most of their positions in the urban areas of Sirte over the past two weeks. The fighting calmed down on 9 September as BM forces consolidated control over liberated areas and defused explosive ordinance, but resumed on 12 September, the first day of Eid al-Adha, with ISIS announcing it had killed six BM fighters.
In Misrata, a security checkpoint at the city’s eastern gate arrested two alleged ISIS members on 7 September, one from al-Khoms in western Libya and the other from Sudan. Their vehicle was reportedly already rigged with explosives and headed to Misrata’s air force base for a suicide mission.
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.

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.

ISIS In Action
In Sirte, fighting halted last week, but resumed fiercely on 27 August. The break in the fighting was reportedly to allow wives and children of ISIS fighters to exit the conflict zone towards the southwest, though there is no evidence confirming this actually took place. It is likely that key ISIS commanders will have taken advantage of this lull in fighting to escape to the south, meaning the destruction of ISIS in Sirte will not mean the eradication of ISIS in Libya.
On 28 August, Bunyan Marsus (BM) fighters aligned with the Government of National Accord (GNA) closed in on ISIS-held districts 1 and 3 of Sirte. At least 35 were killed and more than 180 injured as a result of fierce fighting and reportedly 14 attempted SVBIED attacks by ISIS. BM sources say that five of these were neutralised by US airstrikes, four where destroyed by BM fighters before impact, while five others managed to hit their targets. SVBIED’s, together with IEDs, booby traps and sniper fire, accounts for the majority of BM casualties. It is unclear if BM forces have either the training or the resolve to push past this relentless wave of attacks. In fact, we see that ISIS in Libya deploys different, but related tactics to ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
One way of analysing the mass use of SVBIEDs is that ISIS fighters are making a suicidal last stand against the advance of Misratan-led BM fighters. Another way is they have calculated that this approach may successfully dissuade Misratan fighters from completely liberating Sirte. ISIS areas of control are now limited to two clusters in residential districts 1 and 3, which are not directly contiguous areas, in addition to pockets of resistance in residential district 2.
Meanwhile, unpublicized reports indicate that  an ISIS cell of fighters from Derna has been detained inside Misrata.  This development could potentially provoke an ISIS retaliation.
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.

ISIS In Action
The Bunyan Marsus coalition continued its steady advance deep into the center of Sirte, taking major residential areas throughout the week with the help of US airstrikes. ISIS militants still fighting in these areas continue to show fierce resistance using snipers, mortars and SVBIEDs, but the gains made by Bunyan Marsus indicate that the entirety of Sirte may be liberated within the next two weeks.
In more detail, the Bunyan Marsus coalition continued to root out ISIS in Sirte with the help of US airstrikes, retaking the second residential area west of the port, and advancing north into the third residential area. Despite these gains ISIS forces continue to inflict significant damage on the Misratan-led coalition. On 15 August, ISIS claimed two SVBIED attacks against Bunyan Marsus on the western front. Then on 18 August, ISIS struck again, using two more SVBIEDs to hit a Bunyan Marsus assembly point nine kilometers into liberated territory near the ‘Al Gharbiyat’ bridge. The attack killed more than 18 and wounded another 70.  By 21 August, Bunyan Marsus had liberated areas ‘200’ and ‘Hay Al Naga.’  Additionally, the coalition captured the main ISIS court at the ‘Hisba,’ and ISIS detention facility at the homeland security building and the Ribat Mosque, which IS ideologue Turki Bin’ali lectured at in 2013, prior to IS’s official presence in Libya.
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.

ISIS In Action
Two major pronouncements were made this week. 1. Misratan forces continued their protracted advance into Sirte as battles supposedly moved into what Banyan Marsus is calling their ‘final stages’. 2. Simultaneously as the fight against ISIS has become less popular for some militia men in Tripoli, non-ISIS jihadis such as the grand mufti are expressing support for ISIS.
In the first development, the GNA affiliated Misratan forces announced on 7 August that the countdown to the end-game against IS in Sirte had officially begun, after a week of US airstrikes has reportedly given significant advantage to these forces, enabling them to take control of the ‘Hay Dollar’. Battles are now concentrated in Hay Al Deyafa and near the ‘Indian flats’ just west of the main IS HQ areas Ouagadougou complex, Sirte Hospital and the University. The Misratan-led Bunyan Marsous operation room is also coordinating Libyan airstrikes against IS locations in the city, via their connections to American targeteers.
US support is also fuelling divides within Misratan ranks between pro-GNA formations and more anti-GNA hard-line militias. These divides may escalate the closer the BM gets to victory in Sirte. Anti-GNA sentiment remains high in Misratan ranks, with many fighters rumoured to be actively ready to move against the GNA in Tripoli after victory in Sirte.
In the second development, tensions are flaring between the grand Mufti Sadeq Al Ghariyani and Abdurraouf Kara head of anti-jihadist Al Rada force which is also one of the biggest pro-GNA militias in Tripoli. Ghariyani had accused Kara of using RADA to crack down on Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC) and Benghazi Defense Brigades members in Tripoli. In response, Rada issued a strong statement on 4 August admitting links between the BRSC and IS, and linking BRSC fighters to IS cells inside Tripoli who conducted operations even against Rada itself. Rada reportedly is already holding more than 200 IS operatives in Tripoli in detention. On 3 August, another Tripoli militia was involved in a shooting with a BRSC militiaman in Tripoli who raised the IS flag on his home in Tripoli road. These tensions, which increased after the US airstrikes, indicate that the capital Tripoli is likely to witness heightened instability in the future and possibly even conflict between pro and anti GNA militias, especially if Misratans and Islamist hardliners join ranks again in opposition to the GNA in Tripoli.
In addition to this report, the Eye on ISIS in Libya Team has also released August’s Monthly ISIS Risk Assessment. Click here to read the full assessment.
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. In addition to this report, the Eye on ISIS in Libya Team has also released August’s Monthly ISIS Risk Assessment. Click here to read the full assessment. To subscribe to receive this report weekly into your inbox, sign up on the subscribe page.