Libyan actors
Tracking developments of Libyan Actors in Libya’s security space including armed group activity, state security operations and political activities pertaining to Libya’s security.
22 – 28 August: Jalu forces arrest foreign fighter cell
The local security directorate in Jalu region announced last week that it had arrested a foreign fighter cell, reportedly preparing for operations against the Libyan National Army (LNA).
22 – 28 August: AFRICOM strikes suspected ISIS fighter in Bani Walid
On 28 August, US AFRICOM said it had killed a suspected ISIS fighter in an airstrike in Bani Walid in coordination with the GNA. It didn’t name the person who was killed, but local residents named him as Walid Bu Hariba, a Libyan from Sirte.
22 – 28 August: Clashes between Kani and Tripoli militias erupts in south Tripoli
On 26 August, the Kani militia (also known as the 7th ‘Liwa’) deployed from Tarhuna to south Tripoli. The move provoked Tripoli armed groups to deploy reinforcements to these fronts. On 27 August, clashes broke out between the militias south of Tripoli. A temporary ceasefire held on 28 August but the situation remains volatile.
15 August – 21 August: PFG and LNA conduct operation to recover stolen vehicles from ISIS
On 15 August, the PFG in collaboration with the LNA recovered seven vehicles stolen by ISIS fighters during a raid on the Greater Man Made River (GMMR) Sarir Station on 12 August.
15 August – 21 August: Senior Benghazi Defence Brigade figure killed in raid
On 18 August, Abdulkader Jumaa Abdul-Hadi Afnish Al-Zwai, a senior leader and founding member of the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) and the AROR, died following a raid on his home in Misrata.
15 August – 21 August: UN condemns militias attacking sovereign institutions
On 19 August, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a statement condemning militia groups acting under the Ministry of Interior of the Government of National Accord (GNA) for attacking sovereign institutions.
15 August – 21 August: LNA mobilized forces to Oil Crescent and declare state of emergency
On 15 August, the LNA mobilized its forces to the Oil Crescent and declared a state of emergency in the region following reports of Ibrahim Jadhran allied militias traversing to the Wadi Zamzam area.
8 August – 14 August: ISIS claim of attack on LNA and eulogize Kenyan fighter
On 13 August, ISIS Wilayat Barqah released a eulogy in their “Caravans of Martyrs” of Kenyan fighter. On 8 August, ISIS set up a checkpoint on the Abjabiya to Jalu road. In ISIS’s latest al-Naba newsletter the group claim a raid on a LNA checkpoint close to Fuqaha in Jufrah at dawn on 4 August.
8 August – 14 August: LNA launch airstrikes on Benghazi Defence Brigade forces
On 13 August, the Libyan National Army’s 101 Infantry Brigade clashed with Derna Protection Forces remnants near Gate 200 on the Tubruk-Ajdabiya highway. On 11 August, the Libyan National Army conducted airstrikes from its al-Jufra airbase targeting Benghazi Defence Brigade (BDB) forces located near al-Saddadah.