According to UN reporting presented on 15 February, AQIM (‘Al-Qaida in Libya’) secures transportation routes to cities for transit or as hideouts in...
AQIM uses southern Libya to transport fighters to Mali: UN report
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Results for "AQIM"
LNA arrests AQIM militants near Brak al-Shatti
On 2 June, local news sources reported that the Libyan National Army (LNA)-affiliated Tarik Bin Ziyad brigade and the Government of National Unity...
AQIM
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Libya Libya’s connections to al-Qaida and global Salafi-jihadi networks stem from the so-called Libyan...
25 November – 1 December: LNA detains AQIM members
On 28 November, the spokesman of the LNA, Mismari, announced that the LNA detained at least seven AQIM members.
3 June – 9 June: France kills emir of AQIM
On 5 June, French forces killed the emir of AQIM in northern Mali.
4 March – 10 March: AQIM confirms death of prominent leader in Libya
On 4 March, Egypt executed the former Egyptian Special Force officer turned al-Qaeda affiliate Hisham Ashmawy. On 28 February, AQIM confirmed the death of prominent leader, Abdul Moneim Salem al-Hasnawi aka Abu Tahla al-Hasnawi, in Libya.
25 September – 1 October: Unverified claims of AQIM affiliate killed in AFRICOM airstrikes
In the wake of US AFRICOM airstrikes targeting ISIS fighters in southern Libya, unverified claims circulated on social media suggesting AQIM-affiliate, Ahmed Abdul-Jaleel al-Hasnawi had also been killed in the operations.
18 – 24 September: AFRICOM drone circled over AQIM hotspot in southern Libya
Prior to a US AFRICOM airstrike targeting ISIS fighters near Murzuq on 19 September, a drone was also suspected to have flown over the Wadi Ajal and Ghat, an Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) hotspot
23 January – 29 January: LNA kill AQIM field commander in Sebha
On 27 January, the LNA claim to have killed AQIM field commander Adel Ahmad al-Abdali during a raid in the Hijarah area of Sebha. On 24 January, Anti-Terror Forces in Misrata arrested a terror suspect, Ali Amin. On 27 January, the Criminal Investigation Agency of Misrata arrested terror suspect, Zakaria Saleh al-Sheikh, in Misrata.
16 January – 22 January: LNA claimed to have killed senior AQIM member
On 17 January, the LNA claimed to have killed senior Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) member Abdelmonem Al-Hasnawi (aka Abu Tallha al-Libi).
5 December – 11 December: AQIM deny links to those killed in AFRICOM strikes near al-Uwaynat.
On 6 December, AQIM released a statement denying any links to those killed in the AFRICOM air strikes on 29 November near al-Uwaynat.
28 November – 4 December: AFRICOM conduct an airstrike killing eleven AQIM members near al-Uwaynat
On 29 November, AFRICOM conducted an airstrike killing eleven AQIM members and destroying three vehicles near al-Uwaynat in southern Libya.
5 September – 11 September: AQIM eulogies Libyan AQIM commander
On 7 September, AQIM-linked media accounts published a eulogy for the Libyan AQIM commander Miloud Sadaga. Sadaga. Originally from Derna, Sadaga fought against the LNA, where he died, under the ‘banner of Ansar al-Shaira’.
13 June – 19 June: AFRICOM conducts drone strike killing AQIM member near Bani Walid
On 13 June, U.S Africa Command (AFRICOM), in cooperation with the Government of National Accord (GNA), conducted a drone strike killing an alleged member of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb approximately 50 miles southeast of Bani Walid.
28 Mar – 3 Apr: AFRICOM confirms airstrike in Libya killed high-ranking AQIM official
On 28 March, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed that on 24 March it had coordinated with the Libyan Government of National Accord to conduct drone strikes targeting a house near Ubari, killing two militants that belonged to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). It disclosed that the strikes had killed Musa Abu Dawud, a high-ranking AQIM official.
21 – 27 Mar: US drone strikes target AQIM while UN Envoy concedes LPA amendments are unlikely
On 24 March, the US military undertook drone strikes targeting a house near Ubari, allegedly killing two militants that belonged to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. On 22 March, the UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame briefed to the UNSC and conceded that an amendment to the Libyan Political Agreement leading to a final unified government before elections was unlikely.
Tobruk imposes curfew to fight criminal groups ‘more efficiently’
On June 3, the Tobruk Security Directorate, on behalf of GNS Ministry of Interior Undersecretary Faraj Aqim, imposed an overnight curfew stating...
LNA deploys troops in Umm Sa’ad, raids hideouts
On 30 May, violent rioting broke out in Umm Sa'ad on the Egyptian border after Libyan Border Guards fired at a suspected smuggling vehicle, killing...
LNA claims to have arrested al-Qaeda suspect in South-West
On 3 September, the LNA-aligned Tariq Bin Ziyad Brigade (TBZ Brigade) arrested a suspected al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operative,...
Archive Guide
How to use our archiveThe Libya Security Monitor (LSM) has an archive covering the most significant security incidents since June 2014. Our updates...
Publications
PublicationsTerrorist and Armed Groups in the Fezzan-Sahel Region: Recruitment and Communication Tactics January 2021 In Terrorist and Armed Groups...
29 May – 4 June: Hisham al-Ashmawy handed over to Egyptian authorities
On 28 May, the LNA transferred former Egyptian Special Forces officer turned Egyptian jihadist, Hisham al-Ashmawy, over to Egyptian authorities. On 30 May, alleged member of the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries Abdel Salam Abou Rzaiza was killed in southern Tripoli. On 30 May, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated near the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) headquarters in Derna, without any casualties reported. On 2 June, two vehicle-borne IEDs targeting the LNA’s Awilat al-Dam and Omar al-Mukhtar Operations Room headquarters left as many as 18 people injured.
16 January – 22 January: LNA claimed to have killed the commander of ISIS’s desert brigades
On 17 January, the LNA claimed to have killed the commander of ISIS’s desert brigades Mahdi Rajab Danqou. On 17 January, the Libyan Red Crescent branch in Misrata called on the Tunisian government to accept six children whose Tunisian parents fought for ISIS in Sirte in 2016.
3 October – 9 October: Egyptian jihadist Hisham al-Ashmawy captured in Derna
On 8 October, the LNA captured former Egyptian Special Forces officer turned jihadist, Hisham al-Ashmawy, in the al-Maghar neighborhood of Derma. Al-Ashmawy was captured with a suicide vest on, which he had failed to detonate.
12 September – 18 September: LNA arrest two suspected terrorists in Ajdabiya
Libyan National Army’s RADA Central Deterrent Forces arrested two suspected terrorists in Ajdabiya. On 14 September, a terrorist attack was reported to have occurred targeting the Zliten Security Directorate.
25 July – 31 July: Airstrikes targeting Al-Qaeda occur near Ubari
On 25 July, airstrikes are reported to have occurred targeting a house in the Sharib area near Ubari in Southern Libya, containing individuals thought to be affiliated with al-Qaeda.
The Decline of ISIS in Libya and the Levant is a Concern for Tunisia
The Decline of ISIS in Libya and the Levant is a Concern for Tunisia
In an article for the Middle East Eye, Rhiannon Smith and Lachlan Wilson discuss how the military gains against ISIS first in Libya then in the Levant could have a destabilising impact on Tunisia as the thousands of Tunisians fighting overseas for IS begin to return home and look to establish a new IS vanguard in North Africa. This could result in an increased ISIS presence in Tunisia itself or a regrouping of IS cells with Tunisian support in Libya’s deserts and potential hotspots such as Sabratha.
Other 22 Nov 16
Last week, the LNA retook the symbolic Guwarsha gate in Benghazi and there have been regular air strikes on the south-western area of Ganfuda in which the jihadi fighters are now confined. However, three children were also killed in a car bomb explosion in the city. The LNA also claims to have apprehended Mokhtar Bel Mokhtar’s wife in southern Libya.
Other — 25 July 2016
Over the last two weeks, the Benghazi Defense Brigade (BDB) advanced to within 60 kilometers east of Benghazi, before reportedly retreating back to its base in Jufra, Libya on 22-23 July. The militia, which has enjoyed rising support in western Libya after it managed to take down an LNA helicopter with three French soldiers onboard on 17 July, is likely to conduct a new incursion into the oil crescent to retake oil wells from LNA-aligned forces and to mount another assault on Benghazi.
Other — 7 Dec 2015
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) bragged about their control of central Derna and released a statement eulogizing the emir of Ansar Al Sharia’s Derna branch, Hamid al-Sha’iri. According to it Al-Sha’iri and his men were killed last week “as a result of a treacherous ambush laid by the soldiers of the taghut [Haftar].” […]