Category: The Islamic State

Check out my new ‘Policy Watch’ for the Washington Institute: "Manchester Attack Highlights Foreign Fighters in Libya"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


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.
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New issue of The Islamic State’s newsletter: “al-Nabā’ #81"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

For prior parts see: #80, #79, #78, #77, #76, #75, #74, #73, #72, #71, #70, #69, #68, #67, #66, #65, #64, #63, #62, #61, #60, #59, #58, #57, #56, #55, #54, #53, #52, #51, #50, #49, #48, #47, #46, #45, #44, #43, #42, #41, #40, #39, #38, #37, #36, #35, #34, #33, #32, #31, #30, #29, #28, #27, #26, #25, #24, #23, #22, #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10 and #1.
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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: The Islamic State — al-Nabā’ Newsletter #81
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To inquire about a translation for this newsletter issue for a fee email: [email protected]

New video message from The Islamic State: "We Will Surely Guide Them To Our Ways – Wilāyat Nīnawā"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The title of this release is in reference to Qur’anic verse 29:69. Here it is in full: “And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, God is with the doers of good.”
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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]

Weekly Eye on Jihadis in Libya Update – May 16, 2017

Posted on by libyaanalysis

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.

The extended Sallabi family is influential in the broader Islamist alliance. Islamist scholar Ali Sallabi, who is based in Qatar, is a key power player attempting to broker a political reconciliation between Khalifa Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA) behind the scenes, while his brother Ismail Sallabi is a key commander of a Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) militia. The BDB is allied with the BRSC and attempted to wrest control of the Oil Crescent from the LNA earlier this year. Ali Sallabi’s influence and connections with revolutionaries in Misrata is a key driver of conflict and hate against Misrata in eastern Libya. German and British newspapers reported last week that the GNA is facilitating shipments of arms and supplies to jihadists in Benghazi via Misrata port. — 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. Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001

New issue of The Islamic State’s newsletter: “al-Nabā’ #80"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

For prior parts see: #79, #78, #77, #76, #75, #74, #73, #72, #71, #70, #69, #68, #67, #66, #65, #64, #63, #62, #61, #60, #59, #58, #57, #56, #55, #54, #53, #52, #51, #50, #49, #48, #47, #46, #45, #44, #43, #42, #41, #40, #39, #38, #37, #36, #35, #34, #33, #32, #31, #30, #29, #28, #27, #26, #25, #24, #23, #22, #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10 and #1.
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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: The Islamic State — al-Nabā’ Newsletter #80
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To inquire about a translation for this newsletter issue for a fee email: [email protected]

Weekly Eye on ISIS in Libya Update – May 9, 2017

Posted on by libyaanalysis

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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