Category: Eye on ISIS in Libya

ISIS In Action ISIS now controls almost 300 kilometres of Libyan coastline and has expanded its control to seven other towns 150 kilometres west and southwest of Sirte. Residents of Sirte have reported tighter ISIS security measures, in addition to widespread stockpiling of food and supplies, anticipating an imminent attack on the city. A large proportion of the population has evacuated, however some residents have reportedly returned because they could not afford rent elsewhere. ISIS announced the names of seven fighters killed in the group’s assault against Misratan forces that culminated in the capture of Sdada Bridge on 5 May. Among the dead were four jihadists from Derna, two of which were brothers. Two other ISIS fighters killed in clashes with Misrata on 12 May were also from Derna. On 9 May, ISIS published a gruesome video titled “Killing the Followers of Satan” that showed the beheading and shooting of three Libyan National Army (LNA) medical volunteers, taken captive during clashes in Benghazi last month. On 10 May, ISIS issued a statement claiming responsibility for destroying an LNA ‘T72’ tank and killing a number of LNA soldiers in Benghazi, and taking one soldier prisoner. On 11 May, ISIS continued its advance on the Misratan frontline, conducting another surprise suicide attack on Misratans posted near Al Sdada checkpoint, northwest of Abu Grein. Although the incoming truck bomb was stopped by trenches dug in the road, ISIS militants managed to kill four Misratan fighters, and injured another 10, before retreating back to Abu Grein. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying the suicide bomber as a Sudanese national. On 14 May, ISIS published a photo report with maps that highlighted the LNA units targeted by ISIS mortars in Al Guwarsha area of Benghazi. The media units affiliated with the Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council and Ansar Al Sharia have produced similar material of the same events, but each claiming their own credit, indicating a continued rivalry amongst 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 the Eye On ISIS in Libya Team’s treatment of Western countries’ responses to ISIS in Libya this week, click here. To read their 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 EOIL homepage.

ISIS In Action
A surprise ISIS attack on Misratan Military Council forces in Abu Grein this week has allowed ISIS to capture several towns southwest of Sirte and rapidly institute its control over the local population. The attack, which occurred on 5 and 6 May, included two suicide bombings (by Tunisian ISIS members). The fighting killed 12 Misratans and eight ISIS militants. The Misratans were forced to withdraw 70 kilometres to the west. The surprise assault, which ISIS named “The Battle of Sheikh Abi Ali Al Anbari,” has further expanded ISIS’s territorial control to southwest of Sirte, including Abu Grein, Abu Njeem, Wadi Zamzam, Al Balgha, Al Washka, Wadi Bey and Al Buwirat. The nearby town of Bani Walid — the home of the Warfalla, 50 kilometres west of Wadi Zamzam — is witnessing a large influx of refugees fleeing these areas, in addition to refugees from Sirte who have continued to arrive throughout the last few weeks.
ISIS has already applied draconian measures to the residents of Abu Grein, Abu Njeem and Wadi Zamzam, including anti-woman ‘witch-hunts’ and burning of ‘haram’ commodities. ISIS has also established Shari’a courts in Abu Grein, painting its flag on the buildings and set up an execution square in front of the local police station. In Wadi Zamzam, a retired colonel was executed on 6 May, after which, ISIS assembled residents in a mosque and demanded they submit to ISIS authority. ISIS had required regular army and police officers to declare their ‘tawbah’ (repentance) from formal Libyan state actors. ISIS also set up a ‘Hesba’ (inspectorate) unit in Al-Gaddahiya area of Wadi Zamzam, and has established new checkpoints that are manned by Tunisian and Somali nationals. ISIS militants are currently scouring the area to arrest additional ‘wanted’ persons.
ISIS advanced south towards Jufra after taking Abu Njeem, and is reportedly positioned in the mountains of Al-Rouagha and Harouge, 240 kilometres south of Sirte. During the advance, ISIS clashed with Misratan fighters at Jufra Air Base, near the central Libyan town of Waddan, on 6 May.
ISIS has extensively employed propaganda in the last week, exploiting Libyan political divisions, particularly the ill feeling that many actors have built up against Misrata. ISIS released photographs on 8 May showing Libyan tribal elders, allegedly from the Warfalla, Qadhadhifa and Awlad Sulayman, pledging allegiance to ISIS. The group also circulated a video report of battles in Benghazi against the LNA, and a photo report of the latest its assault against Misratan forces west of Sirte.
To read the Eye On ISIS in Libya Team’s treatment of Western countries’ responses to ISIS in Libya this week, click here. To read their 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 EOIL homepage.

ISIS In Action
In Sirte, ISIS is taking unprecedented measures as the buildup of rival Libyan forces towards a battle in Sirte is almost complete. ISIS is reported to have executed, by firing squad an army captain, named Ahnaish Qaddafi, and two other soldiers, both bothers, as it tries to control public dissent in the town before battle commences with anti-ISIS forces converging on Sirte.
Ahnaish is said to have been a leading member of the Qaddadfa tribe in the Abu Hadi district south of the town and was killed for supporting the ‘apostate’ Gaddafi. The two brothers were reportedly members of the PFG from Soloug but were captured by ISIS in Derna and then taken to Sirte. The killing indicates that ISIS is likely to target more Gaddafi loyalists and sympathisers as it fears a new uprising in the town especially if arms make their way to these dissidents in the city.
ISIS also reportedly killed five people in Ben Jawad, east of Sirte, among them, on 30 April, two teenagers who were thrown from the roof of the highest building in the place. Last week IS forces partially withdrew from Ben Jawad to Nawfaliyah. Clashes with LNA units reportedly took place on 2 April around 30 km south of the town.
ISIS is said to have heavily mined the entry ways into Sirte as well as locations inside it to prevent either the LNA from entering from the east or Misratan forces from the west. ISIS erected sand barriers on the roads and several more checkpoints were set up around the town to restrict movement in and out of the city. More than 200 families are believed to have fled the town recently ahead of the battle.
According to a resident who managed to leave three days ago and get to Tripoli, Sirte is a humanitarian catastrophe. There are dire shortages of food, money and medicine – and the situation, together with fears of an imminent attack by the LNA or Misratan-led forces, or both, is pushing the town’s remaining residents to flee, the Libya Herald has been told.
According to the resident, ISIS set up a women’s unit who have been going round house to check to see if people have satellite TV or any printed material that could be deemed ‘haram’ (illegal). Anyone wanting to leave Sirte must abandon all their belongings, the resident said.
He added that IS has said that those leaving everything behind. “If they leave, Daesh confiscates everything. They sell the TVs, the electronic goods, anything they can remove. They want the money. Given the situation, most people in Sirte were desperate to leave, he added. “But once they have decided to flee, they must lose everything.”
Other desperate measures taken by the group reportedly include kidnapping young children in front of their families to persuade them to stay.
A group of 13 male and female Ukrainian medical workers reportedly managed to make it alive to Brega after escaping from IS-held territory via Bin Jawwad on 30 April. The medics may have been trapped in Sirte when IS took over the town in February 2015. They were smuggled to Bin Jawwad and picked up by members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard and taken first to Ras Lanuf. However ISIS released a video titled (Islamic Police in Bin Jawwad) on 3 May.
On 30 April, ISIS has also released a new video threatening retaliation against the LNA and Haftar for Derna. The video showed a recap of past executions and other scenes of ISIS battles in Derna.
To read the Eye On ISIS in Libya Team’s treatment of Western countries’ responses to ISIS in Libya this week, click here. To read their 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 EOIL homepage.
 

ISIS In Action
ISIS withdrew from Derna on 20 April after intense fighting with the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC), and their Libyan National Army (LNA) allies, just days before. Sources in Derna report that ISIS retreated after their commanders issued orders to fall back to Sirte. The consolidation of ISIS forces in Sirte could mean that the group is preparing for an imminent assault on the city by the LNA and the Misratans.
Sources inside Sirte are reporting observable ISIS agitation and increased clampdowns on the local populace. ISIS is also reportedly moving ammunition and supplies to locations inside the city, while the number of ISIS militants appearing in public has decreased suddenly in the last few days. As fears of large urban battle grow, the city is witnessing a rise in departures with, including long queues of residents waiting for ISIS-issued departure ‘permits’. Although the city is becoming increasingly deserted, the number of fixed ISIS checkpoints has increased. ISIS fighters are reportedly driving through the city, calling on locals to wage ‘jihad’ against invading forces. ISIS has also initiated compulsory recruitments of civilians, executing those who refuse to join.
On 23 April, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) and the LNA fought with ISIS 52 kilometres south of Brega. Central PFG commander Ibrahim Jadhran was lightly injured during the battle, as ISIS militants from Sirte moved to support their comrades withdrawing from Derna.
To read the Eye On ISIS in Libya Team’s treatment of Western countries’ responses to ISIS in Libya this week, click here. To read their 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 EOIL homepage.
 

ISIS In Action
ISIS attacked the ‘28 May’ militia near Sadada on 13 April, beheading militia leaders, looting large amounts of munitions, and destroying the remaining armaments that could not be transported from the camp. Some sources report that the ISIS militants who conducted the operation did so without direction from ISIS senior command in Sirte, and that they were, in fact, natives of Bani Walid. If true, these reports may explain why ISIS ‘official’ media outlets had not yet claimed the attack, in addition to the bombing of Al Sadada Checkpoint on 12 April. According to these reports, the ISIS militants were dressed in nondescript clothing and approached the ’28 May’ militia camp on foot.
Following increased sightings of ISIS convoys in area, locals in Bani Walid speak of a growing sense that urgent measures are needed to defend the city, however divisions are hindering action. Some residents want to ignore the issue, believing that Bani Walid is not ready for an open conflict with ISIS, while others would prefer to conduct a deterrent attack on ISIS as soon as possible. The large ‘Wadi Souf Al Jein’ desert valley between Bani Walid and Sirte is considered an open access area between the two cities, allowing ISIS almost complete freedom of movement. The area’s mountainous topography provides relatively safe passage, and according to local sources, is likely home to ISIS training camps.
On 15 April, ISIS executed three Sirte residents from the Qadhafi tribe. The following day, another ISIS commander, Abu Shujaa Al Masri, was hospitalised with serious injuries at Sirte’s Ibn Sina hospital, after being involved in a vehicle accident south of the city, in which an Egyptian and Tunisian were also injured.
ISIS also published a photo gallery of its citywide assessment of basic Sharia knowledge in Sirte. The assessment was held on 15 April after ISIS concluded obligatory Sharia courses, in which 4000 people are claimed to have participated. On 17 April, ISIS held a largely attended graduation ceremony in the main Ouagadougou conference hall in the city centre. ISIS had apparently used cash rewards to incentivise local participation in its Sharia courses. The reward for first place was 10,000 Libyan dinars, 5000 dinars for second place, and 3000 for third place. Twenty runners-up were awarded 500 dinars each.
ISIS managed to make new gains against the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC) after intense fighting throughout the week. The gains were made at Al Heela battlefront in Al Fatieh, south of Derna on 17 April. DMSC units withdrew from the line after losing five of their fighters to ISIS suicide VBIED attacks, with several others wounded. However, many DMSC fighters remain in Al Fatieh, as the fighting is expected to continue at any time. Meanwhile, on the eastern coast of Derna, ISIS heavy artillery have managed to push back DMSC forces, allowing ISIS forces to advance and take control of a number of DMSC positions in the city.
ISIS and other jihadist militias were pushed back further south from Benghazi last week, as the Libyan National Army (LNA) continued its advance. ISIS lost control of the cement factory in Hawari on 18 April, when LNA forces stormed the complex. This loss comes after a month of heavy fighting, including frequent LNA airstrikes on the factory. Before losing control of Hawari, ISIS had conducted a suicide bombing on an LNA checkpoint near the cement factory on 14 April and published drone footage of the attack. ISIS also released a short video on 19 April of two LNA soldiers taken captive during their retreat from Guwarsha in southern Benghazi.
To read the Eye On ISIS in Libya Team’s treatment of Western countries’ responses to ISIS in Libya this week, click here. To read their 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 EOIL homepage.