ISIS in action

ISIS now controls almost 300 kilometres of Libyan coastline and has expanded its control to seven other towns 150 kilometres west and southwest of Sirte. Residents of Sirte have reported tighter ISIS security measures, in addition to widespread stockpiling of food and supplies, anticipating an imminent attack on the city. A large proportion of the […]

A surprise ISIS attack on Misratan Military Council forces in Abu Grein this week has allowed ISIS to capture several towns southwest of Sirte and rapidly institute its control over the local population. The attack, which occurred on 5 and 6 May, included two suicide bombings (by Tunisian ISIS members). The fighting killed 12 Misratans […]

In Sirte, ISIS is taking unprecedented measures as the buildup of rival Libyan forces towards a battle in Sirte is almost complete. ISIS is reported to have executed, by firing squad an army captain, named as Ahnaish Qaddafi, and two other soldiers, both bothers, as it tries to control public dissent in the town before […]

ISIS withdrew from Derna on 20 April after intense fighting with the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC), and their Libyan National Army (LNA) allies, just days before. Sources in Derna report that ISIS retreated after their commanders issued orders to fall back to Sirte. The consolidation of ISIS forces in Sirte could mean that the […]

ISIS attacked the ‘28 May’ militia near Sadada on 13 April, beheading militia leaders, looting large amounts of munitions, and destroying the remaining armaments that could not be transported from the camp. Some sources report that the ISIS militants who conducted the operation did so without direction from ISIS senior command in Sirte, and that […]

Heavy fighting between ISIS and the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) in Garrah Al Haddad, an area between Bin Jawwad and Sidra, took place on 3 April. One PFG member was killed in the battle. That same day, ISIS issued a statement saying it had manged to thwart the advance and push the PFG eastward from […]

On 2 April, ISIS attacked the Al Beda 47 oil field, which is owned by the Arabian Gulf Oil Company and connected by pipeline to Brega, before being pushed back by the Marada Martyrs brigade, a group that supports the Libyan National Army (LNA). On 3 April, the brigade clashed again with ISIS militants 70 […]

ISIS is consolidating its grip on Sirte and the surrounding regions, while executions of members of the large local tribes Furnaj and Gadadafa have continued. ISIS reportedly executed three Libyan National Army soldiers in Sirte on 25 March after they were kidnapped in their hometown of Ajdabiya, while on leave from Benghazi. Another man was […]

ISIS continues to keep a tight grip on Sirte despite increasing hardship faced by the city’s population. Basic food and other items are increasingly scarce, while the exodus of Sirte’s residents is ongoing. ISIS has also enforced mandatory Sharia courses and regularly conducted raids on the homes of local dissidents. An ISIS video statement on […]