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.
24-31 October: ISIS Claims 25 Oct. Attack on LNA Checkpoint Near Ajdabiya
The ISIS Amaq news agency claimed responsibility for the 25 October, attack on the ‘Tisan’ checkpoint south of Ajdabiya, which killed at least 3 LNA fighters and left another two injured. Survivors report that the assailants arrived in 7 vehicles and set the entire checkpoint on fire after seizing the LNA’s firearms. It was reported that on 29 October, ISIS fighters established a temporary checkpoint on the coastal highway 20km east of Sirte. The area in question is considered to be under the control of al-Bunyan al-Marsus (BM) forces aligned with the GNA.
24-31 October: US forces captured Mustafa al-Imam in Misrata on 29 October
US Special Operations forces captured 2012 Benghazi Special Mission attack suspect Mustafa al-Imam in Misrata on 29 October. It is reported that Imam was flown to a US Navy vessel and will be transported to the US to face federal prosecution for his alleged involvement in the 2012 attack. On 30 October, the third round of ‘Libyan-Libyan’ meeting between LNA and Misrata military officers was held in Cairo as part of the talks to reunify the Libyan army.
24-31 October: Mass grave with 36 handcuffed bodies discovered near Benghazi
On 26 October, 36 handcuffed bodies were discovered in mass grave 50km south west of Benghazi. They seem to have been executed in the style attributed to LNA field commander Mahmoud al-Werfalli. On 26 October, Misratan security detained three alleged jihadists in Souq al-Khamis, east of Khoms. Clashes were reported in Zliten between forces said to be from Misrata and local Islamist fighters.
24-31 October: Mystery airstrikes kill at least 12 civilians in Derna
On 30 October, airstrikes of unknown origin hit the Dahr al-Hamar and al-Fatieh districts of Derna. The strikes killed at least 12 children and women, and injured many more. Both the LNA and the Egyptian military have denied responsibility for the incident. The LNA said it had set an internal six-month deadline to conclude the ongoing UN dialogue talks or else the LNA would move on Tripoli. Clashes broke out in the center of Zawiyya and near the oil refinery on the evening of 30 October.
17-24 October: LNA alleges that Qatar is funneling ISIS fighters to the south of Libya
Sources from the LNA allegedly told UAE based news outlet, Alittihad, that Qatar is transferring ISIS militants to Libya, after major losses in Iraq and Syria. In Misrata the crackdown on Islamist hardliners and suspected ISIS collaborators continues, last week 13 people were arrested connection with terrorism. On October 19, the LNA allegedly arrested a former ISIS member, Anis Bujeela al-Awami, who was hiding in Derna.
17-24 October: Several DMSC Members killed, arrested as Islamist crackdown continues across Libya
On 20 October, two young DMSC fighters, Salem Abdul Wahhab al-Gerbadi and Abdullah Idris al-Gabaili, were killed in clashes between the LNA and the DMSC in the Dahr al-Hamar area south of Derna. On 23 October, Rada Special Deterrent Force arrested two senior members of the DMSC, Khalid al-Hassadi and Adel al-Karghal, at a hotel in downtown Tripoli.
17-24 October: Salame remains optimistic as UN-facilitated Libyan political talks come to a standstill
On 22 October, the second batch of meetings in the UN-facilitated Libyan political talks concluded without setting a plan or agenda for the next gathering. Salame insists that in spite of controversy over ‘bottle neck’ issues, there was progress made in the latest discussions. On 23 October, the Egyptian military reported that its air force struck a convoy of eight vehicles carrying munitions near Egypt’s western border with Libya.
17-24 October: The LNA and Haftar himself, strengthen ties in Libya’s west
Since taking control over Sabratha in early October, Khalifa Haftar has strengthened his relationship with several important military leaders in the west of Libya. This week Misratan General Salem Juha, endorsed Haftar as leader of the national army. It is reported that Haftar met with the GNA’s Commander of the Western Region during his trip to the UAE earlier last week. On October 20, a large militia in Sabratha, the Sareyyat al-Orouba, turned itself over to the LNA-affiliated AIOR. On 17 October, intense clashes erupted at Tripoli port after the GNA’s Presidential Guard and the Nawasi Brigade tried to take the port by force. The Presidential Guard secured the facility on 22 October, and it is now operational. On October 19, the Megarha tribe cut off water supplies to Tripoli, in an effort to secure the release of Mabrouk al-Hniesh from Rada Special Deterrence Force.
11-17 October: Agreement reached on families of Tunisian ISIS fighters held in Mitiga
On 14 October, Ahmed Ben Salem, the spokesman for RADA Special Deterrence Force based in Tripoli, stated that the group has come to an agreement with Tunisian authorities regarding the extradition of woman and children Tunisian prisoners held in Mitiga Prison. The Tunisian newspaper, Al-Sabah, reported that Ben Salem said the agreement entailed the extradition of twenty-one children.