On 19 February, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, stated that ISIS in Libya was “boosting ties with al-Qaeda which is raising its head near the Oil Crescent.” Bogdanov was talking at a Middle East conference at Club Valdai.
On 26 February, Tunisian security forces captured ISIS member, Hicham Krouma, who is suspected of being involved in a several of attacks and assassinations in Tunisia as well as abroad. Krouma is said to have spent time in Derna as well as in Raqqa, Syria.
On 26 February, security forces in Sirte arrested ISIS member Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh Al-Qaziri, at his home in Sirte. Al-Qaziri is believed to have been responsible for broadcasting the ISIS radio station “Al-Tawheed” in 2015 and 2016.