ISIS in action
Tracking developments of ISIS activity and the anti-ISIS coalition in Libya.
18 – 31 December 2019: Al-Mismari alleges that Turkey has transferred hundreds of terrorists to Libya
On 30 December, spokesperson of Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), Ahmed Al-Mismari, alleged that hundreds of “terrorists of various nationalities” affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda had been transferred from Syria to Libya during the past days via Turkey.
12 – 17 December: Two men arrested under suspicion of smuggling funds to ISIS fighters
On 13 December, the CID in Benghazi arrested two men under the suspicion of smuggling funds outside Libya for an ISIS fighter.
4 December – 10 December 2019: Sirte ISIS suspect released
On 3 December, the family of engineer Iman Daw al-Qamati confirmed that she had been acquitted of allegations of being affiliated with ISIS. On 5 December, a man’s body was discovered in al-Fuqaha, with reports claiming the man had been kidnapped by ISIS in April.
27 November – 3 December 2019: Three alleged ISIS fighters arrested
On 29 November, the GNA’s MoI announced that it had arrested Emad Faraj Mansour al-Shuqabi on charges relating to terrorism and being the coordinator between ISIS and Ansar al-Sharia. On 20 November, the Benghazi’s Criminal Investigation General Directorate captured a suspected ISIS fighter from Benghazi. On 20 November, security forces arrested a suspected Chadian ISIS fighter in Taraghin in southern Libya.
20 – 26 November 2019: Newspaper report indicates ISIS’s presence in Sirte
On 24 November, the “Washington Post” claimed eight suspected ISIS members were arrested within the proximity of Sirte. A Western official is quoted anonymously saying that there was concern ISIS and al-Qaeda might regroup.
13 November – 19 November: ISIS-Libya released photos showing its pledge to new group leader
On 14 November, ISIS-Libya released four photos revealing the group’s members making a pledge of allegiance to new ISIS leader. On 15 November, the GNA Minister of Foreign Affairs at a meeting of the global coalition against ISIS stated ”IS threats in Libya are still imminent”.
6 – 12 November: Haftar emphasises cooperation with Chad and Sudan in countering ISIS
In an interview on 4 November, the leader of the LNA, Khalifa Haftar, said that the LNA is cooperating with Chad and Sudan to fight ISIS in Libya.
30 October – 5 November: ISIS mass grave discovered near Sirte
On 2 November, the Ras Lanuf Security Directorate confirmed that a mass grave had been discovered east of Sirte. It is likely the grave dates from the period when ISIS occupied Sirte.
23 – 29 October: AFRICOM claims recent airstrikes killed 25% of ISIS-Libya fighters
On 26 October, US AFRICOM claimed that the four US airstrikes in Libya this year had killed 25% of the remaining ISIS fighters in the country and that ISIS-Libya numbers less than 150 members. On 16 October, the LNA claimed to have arrested an ISIS member near Mitiga airport in Tripoli.