by Jason | Dec 7, 2015 | Libyan actors
There are mildly encouraging developments on coalition building against ISIS. At the tactical military level, the appointment of Brigadier General Abdussalam Al-Hassi as LNA commander in Benghazi is encouraging. Al-Hassi was previously the commander of LNA...
by Jason | Nov 23, 2015 | ISIS
IS assassinated two more security officers Ajdabiya, bringing the number killed this month to twelve. The killings reinforce the local and tribal divisions in the Oil Crescent and threaten serious regional instability. Omar Al Gabsi, a soldier in the LNA, and Hamza...
by Jason | Nov 23, 2015 | International actors
There was no discernable Western response to the ISIS threat in Libya this week.
by Jason | Nov 23, 2015 | Other Jihadi Actors
While the Ajdabiya Revolutionaries’ Shoura Council (ARASC) has engaged in kidnapping activities against LNA loyalists and is known for its hostility towards Haftar, it also controls a sizeable territory, securing the 18km checkpoint south of Ajdabiya on the desert...
by Jason | Nov 23, 2015 | Libyan actors
Local officials and soldiers affiliated with the LNA blame the municipality of Ajdabiya, PFG, and the ARASC for the new wave of assassinations, which they say are increasingly collaborating with IS. This week’s incidents provoked local LNA officers in Ajdabiya to call...
by Jason | Nov 16, 2015 | ISIS
IS continues to reinforce its presence in its stronghold of Sirte and outposts near Derna. The organisation continued its witch-hunt for military officers and Libya Dawn sympathisers, detaining more locals. Reports of clashes between IS and a contingent from Misrata’s...
by Jason | Nov 16, 2015 | International actors
The tragic Paris attacks indicate a new moment for international political action against IS, and the Libyan front is likely to figure into future coordination. The US announced its first airstrike against an IS target in Derna, claiming to have killed the top IS...
by Jason | Nov 16, 2015 | Other Jihadi Actors
In Derna, another non-state actor, Ansar Al Sharia, has re-emerged in the city as an active social society. The group put up various advisory billboards and conducted a number of social volunteering events with young people. The place and timing of the re-emergence of...
by Jason | Nov 16, 2015 | Libyan actors
Clashes continue in Benghazi between the LNA and Benghazi Revolutionary Shoura Council (BRSC) forces, especially in the Abu Atni and Laithi districts. Last week witnessed a resurgent LNA, notably seeing the Thunderbolt Special Forces led by the General Wanis Bukhamada...
by Jason | Nov 2, 2015 | ISIS
The persistence of IS and its forces in Benghazi in the face of aerial blockades has led local analysts to more critically analyse the groups’ supply lines. There are growing indications that the supplies originate from vessels on the high seas and are brought into...