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
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 The BDB have withdrawn from Jufra to camp elsewhere in the desert south of Sirte.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.
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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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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]
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
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Majlis Shūrā al-Mujāhidīn Darnah — Advice To Our Brothers of the Revolutionary Brigades
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Source: Telegram
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Majlis Shūrā al-Mujāhidīn Darnah — By Pushing Evil We Achieve Victories
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Source: Telegram
ISIS in Action and Other Jihadi Actors
On 6 April, 28 Eritrean and 5 Nigerian women and children who were captured and enslaved by ISIS in Sirte were released from prison in Misrata, where they had been held since the Misratan-led al-Bunyan al-Marsus forces ousted ISIS from the city in December. The women and children were captured by ISIS fighters when they seized Sirte in early 2015. After escaping for Sirte, they detained by Misratan forces while they were investigated to see if they had been working with ISIS.
The Libyan attorney-general’s office announced that it had cleared the women of any wrongdoing in mid-February, but their release was delayed for several more weeks. Following their release on 6 April, the women have been handed over to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) who is expected to facilitate their resettlement or repatriation depending on their asylum statuses.
On 10 April, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya printed images of what it claims is a secret prison in the Ganfuda district of Benghazi. It claims people were imprisoned and tortured by jihadi fighters in the prison. Mohammed al-Zwai, a spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces that recently ousted the jihadi fighters from Ganfuda, is quoted as saying, “After combing the mines in the Ganfouda area, which was liberated from terrorist groups, the picture became clearer, as prisons were found in Ganfouda.”
The areas of Sabri and Souq al-Hout in central Benghazi are the final enclaves controlled by local jihadist fighters in the city and conflict is likely to intensify there as the LNA ramps up airstrikes and artillery against the areas.
In Derna, although sporadic clashes continue between the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC) and the Libyan National Army (LNA), local observers indicate that there has been a significant easing of tensions between the DMSC and the LNA recently. There are hopes that a peaceful settlement between the two forces can be found.
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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.
