Category: The Islamic State

ISIS in Action
On 20 and 23 December, ISIS fighters reportedly attacked the main control station of the Man Made River pipe system. The site is located 50km north of the town of al-Shuwarif, situated on the road between Tripoli and Sebha. The site currently lies within the domain of Libyan National Army (LNA) forces who took control of the area two weeks ago, under the command of Colonel Bin Nayel.  ISIS fighters plundered a lot of material from the station before departing. On 25 December, the LNA spokesperson al-Mesmari announced that the LNA had driven the ISIS fighters away and now control the station.
On 21 December, the mayor of Khoms announced that the beheading of a family which took place last month in the town was not done by Islamic State (ISIS) as originally believed. The mayor said that the perpetrator falsely attributed the murder to ISIS by to evade arrest.
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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 explanationhere 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 17 December, the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj officially declared the military operation against Islamic State (ISIS) in Sirte complete and victorious. Although the city is now under the control of the Misratan-led al-Bunyan al-Marsus (BM) forces, threats still remain from booby traps, IEDs and remnant ISIS fighters. Mine clearance operations are ongoing, as well as the collection of corpses and the sanitisation of the city. On 12 December, Mukhtar al-Madani was elected by the Sirte Municpal Council as the city’s local mayor. A day later, BM commanders appointed Brigadier Ahmed Abu Shahma as ‘military governor’ of Sirte in an apparent reaction to the election of a ‘pro Haftar’ mayor. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said last week that Operation Odyssey Lightening continues despite the official victory against ISIS. According to media reports, AFRICOM is continuing to monitor Sirte and its environs, in coordination with the GNA, and to provide the support needed to clear 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
On 6 December, the Government of National Accord (GNA)-aligned Misratan-led al-Bunyan al-Marsus (BM) forces celebrated the takeover of the final ISIS held area in Sirte (al-Jiza al-Bahriya).  Footage and photographs showed BM forces rescuing the last groups of women and children who had been held by ISIS in this area. BM forces also arrested Fozy al-Ayat, the ISIS commander of al-Jiza al-Bahriya, and the brother of Waleed al-Furjani, an important ISIS commander.  This marks the territorial defeat of ISIS in Sirte, however full control has not yet been formally announced. The search for any remaining ISIS fighters in the area is ongoing and there are still a high number of mines and IEDs littered throughout the city. There is a high risk of ISIS fighters conducting guerrilla or terrorist-style attacks in Sirte and the surrounding area.
As the bodies of ISIS fighters are collected in Sirte (over 400 bodies have reportedly been collected in the past few days), many are being identified as being from Derna. These are likely to be ISIS fighters who were originally stationed in Derna but withdrew on 19 April from the battle against the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC) and Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) in the city. However, local informed sources say that there are still a large number of Dernawi fighters who remain missing and unaccounted for, indicating that these fighters may have escaped from Sirte and may still present a threat to Derna.
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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.