Islamic State in Libya Activities: Week of 28 January-03 February 2016

Published in

Libya Security Monitor

7 min readFeb 3, 2016

(WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES)

28 January:

IS published a picture set showing their forces raiding a PFG checkpoint south of Ras Lanuf. This assault, likely the attack on the Marada checkpoint reported on 14 JAN, resulted in the capture of three PFG members who were subsequently beheaded. (IS Media Office of Barqa) [Analyst Note: Previous reporting indicates that 5 PFG members were captured, but the picture set shows only three men being beheaded. It is unclear whether the initial reporting was inaccurate, the additional two men were killed before being photographed, or IS contines to hold those men.]

IS amputated the right hand of a man accused of robbery in the city of Benghazi. (IS Media Office of Benghazi)

IS published a photo set showing fighters in the Sabri neighborhood of Benghazi. (IS Media Office of Barqa)

MSC Derna arrested an Islamic State sleeper cell of 12 individuals within Derna, allegedly responsible for carrying out attacks against MSC Derna forces. Additionally, two young teenagers confessed to MSC Derna to assigned by IS to carry out an SVBIED attack in the city. (Sky News)(SITE Intel Group)

IS fighters allegedly raided the a home in the Abu Hadi area, south of Sirte, detaining a number of members of the al-Qadadfa Tribe. (LNA Statement)

IS supporters claimed that the group planted IEDs that destroyed a MSC Derna vehicle near a western entrance to Derna. Additionally the group ambushed and destroyed a MSC Derna vehicle in the Hila area. (Twitter)(Twitter) [Analyst Note: West Derna has not been an active attack zone for IS recently. Should additional activity be reported in that area, it may represent a new front in the relatively static battle for Derna.]

Local sources released pictures of Hussein Karami preaching in a Sirte mosque and appearing in the Ouagadougou Conference Center in southern Sirte. (Twitter)

Unknown warplanes bombarded IS positions in Sirte. Reconnaissance flights by both manned and unmanned aircraft were previously reported near Sirte. (Afrigate)(al-Wasat)(al-Wasat)(al-Wasat)
Unverified reports claim that British, French and American military advisors visited Eastern Libya to finalize plans for airstrikes on IS targets in Libya. (Daily Mail)
IS published three picture sets showing idylic landscapes in Derna and Sirte as well as a Dawah forum in the Ouagadougou Conference Center in south Sirte. (IS Media Office of Barqa)(IS Media Office of Tarablus)(IS Media Office of Tarablus)

IS forces raided a number of homes and arrested their residents in Sirte. (Afrigate)
IS forces occupied the small village of Albuirat, located along the coast between Misrata and Sirte. It appears that little to no resistance was given, as several IS vehicles entered the city and fighters installed themselves in the local mosque. (al-Wasat)(al-Wasat)

Local reports indicate that IS fighters set up a security checkpoint on the road to Houn, 75km south of the Abu Hadi area of Sirte. Witnesses claimed that a number of Libyans and others of African nationality conducted inspections of vehicles along the road, and that a number of technicals were spotted in the vicinity of the checkpoint.(al-Wasat)
The Misratan Joint Operations Room stated that its affiliated forces arrested two IS Tunisian members in the public market in Zliten with explosives, allegedly planning on targeting the administrative complex in the city. (al-Wasat)
Supporters of the Islamic State claimed the group’s Wilayat Barqa fighters attacked 7 PFG vehicles and a number of infantry, west of Sidra, forcing them to flee. (Twitter)

MSC Derna and IS forces clashed sporadically in the 400 Neighborhood of Derna, as the situation in the Fatih area, east of the city, appeared quiet. (al-Wasat)
IS forces (possibly supplemented by SCBR fighters) retook the Pepsi Factory in Buatni from LNA forces who had captured that position several weeks ago. IS released a statement claiming to have killed 22 LNA fighters in three separate IED attacks on the Airport Road in the nearby Laithi neighborhood. These events may be linked. (Libya Herald)(Twitter)

MSC Derna forces raided a house in Western Derna and captured Ayman Masmari, a senior IS leader and former Wali (governor) responsible for the Ras al-Hillal area, west of Derna. Masmari was executed during or following the raid. (al-Wasat)(al-Wasat)(Facebook)(MSC Derna Facebook)(Libya Observer)
IS allegedly rounded up 14 young Salafis from the restive 3rd District who refused to pledge allegiance to the group and reports indicate that they will be executed this Friday. (al-Wasat)(al-Wasat)
IS published a picture set showing the execution of two “Libya Dawn spies.” One man was crucified (by a fighter in a wheelchair) and the second was shot in the desert. (Twitter)(Twitter)(Twitter)