Libya Situation Update: 06–09 September
Published in
3 min readSep 11, 2015
- 06 SEP: The LNA 102nd Battalion repaired and delivered armored vehicles, including a T-55 tank, a T-62 tank, and 18 BMPs to bolster its forces in the Hila Gate and Fatih areas south of Derna. LNA forces also seized the Heisha camp near Martuba, consolidating control over the southern entrances to Derna. (Martuba Media Office Video)(al-Wasat)
- 07 SEP: ISIS fighters launched a dawn attack on an LNA checkpoint near Nowaqia, southwest of Benghazi. Eight LNA soldiers were killed and four were wounded and LNA sources claim that nine ISIS militants were killed. ISIS issued a statement on the attack and alleged that their fighters destroyed a tank and two militant vehicles, a claim that has not been verified through other sources. The organization also published a picture set, showing military equipment and the beheading of an LNA soldier. (Afrigate)(Twitter)(Akhbar Libya 24)(ISIS Media Office of Barqa)(Akhbar Libya 24)(al-Wasat)(Afrigate)(ISIS Media Office of Barqa)
- 07 SEP: LNA aircraft launched a “massive raid” on SCBR positions near the cement factory in the Hawari district of Benghazi, as fighting between LNA and SCBR forces continued in the area. (Afrigate)(Libyan News 1)(Afrigate)(Twitter)
- 07 SEP: LNA Naval Special Forces detonated a building being used by SCBR militants. The building, located on Omar Bin Khas Street in Souq al-Hout, was garrisoned by militants and was suspected of being heavily booby-trapped. (Akhbar Libya 24)(Afrigate)
- 08 SEP: A LNA soldier belonging to the al-Saiqa Forces was killed during anti-ISIS operations in Ras al-Hillal. (Afrigate) [Analyst Note: This is the first reported instance of al-Saiqa forces being deployed outside of Benghazi and may represent a higher prioritization of the Derna front than previously assessed.]
- 08 SEP: Libya Dawn militias operating near Janzour allegedly detained over 130 civilians on the coastal road near Bridge 17 and Siyad. The detained civilians are reportedly from Rishvana, indicating that this action was intended to either harm or aggravate LNA-sympathetic elements in Western Libya. (al-Arabiya)
- 08 SEP: The Third Force released a statement ordering the punishment of any person destroying life or property whether public or private. While the specific location is not specified, the release was published by an official social media account designated for Third Force operations in the south of Libya. (Third Force Facebook) [Analyst Note: While the Third Force has postured as a governing force in Southern Libya, there is no evidence that they have ever successfully implemented governance policies.]
- 09 SEP: A car bomb exploded outside of the al-Hadbah Prison in Tripoli. No claim of responsibility has emerged, but it is possible that elements loyal to the former regime are involved in this attack as the prison houses several Ghaddafi regime figures including Abdullah al-Sanousi and Saadi al-Ghaddafi. According to eyewitnesses a woman parked the vehicle next to the prison wall under the pretext of visiting an inmate. The blast damaged two vehicles and caused no casualties. (Libya Observer)(al-Wasat)(al-Wasat)(Libya Herald)(al-Arabiya)
- 09 SEP: LNA social media sources report that fighting is ongoing in the Sidi Faraj neighborhood of Benghazi and that LNA forces currently control the flour factory and over 70% of the area. (LNA Facebook)
- 09 SEP: LNA aircraft targeted vessels, allegedly carrying weapons, near the M’reissa Port and an ammunition warehouse near the Barqa School in the al-Afaqat area in western Benghazi. (al-Wasat)
