IS uses unrest to make gradual return to Libya

Doaa Emam

The Islamic State (IS) group released a new audio in March, in which it asked its followers to stage attacks wherever they are.

This made it necessary for authorities in states where IS members have presence to reconsider their security plans to prevent the terrorist group from staging attacks.

IS did not pinpoint a specific state in the audio. Nonetheless, all eyes turned to Libya soon after the release of this audio. There is belief that IS will use the security vacuum in the country as well as the ongoing conflict in it, with Libyan National Army commander, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, working to bring all his country under control, including capital Tripoli which is controlled by terrorist and Islamist militias.

IS declared in a statement earlier that it occupied al-Fuqaha, a village 600 kilometers southeast of Tripoli, for several hours. It said in a message on Telegram on April 10 that it had attacked the village, killed some people and kidnapped others. Nonetheless, the terrorist organization could not present proof of what it said.

IS attacked the village and killed two of its residents, including the head of al-Fuqaha’s council, according to the Libyan TV channel al-Ahrar.

This shows that the terrorist organization tries to use ongoing battles between the Libyan National Army and militias controlling Tripoli to make a comeback to the Libyan scene.

IS House of Wealth

Major General Khairi al-Tamimi, the head of the office of the commander of the Libyan National Army, accused the Tripoli-based National Accord Government of giving legitimacy to militias whose members were ex-convicts.

Some countries, he said, used rampant turmoil in Libya to undermine its national security.

“These countries want Libya to turn into a house of wealth for terrorist groups,” al-Tamimi said.

He told the Russian news channel, RT, on April 24 that the Libyan National Army has been waging war against terrorist organizations for five years now.

He said the army had succeeded in liberating Benghazi and Derna as well as other oil-rich cities and that it works now to liberate the western parts of Libya.

Al-Tamimi accused the National Accord Government of failing to bring stability back to the areas it controls in western Libya, including in capital Tripoli.

“It also made terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood in full control of Tripoli,” he said.

IS comeback

Libya was among a number of countries Bloomberg expected IS to return to. A report by the news agency made links between the political instability in the North African country and the return of the terrorist organization to it.

IS, Bloomberg said, lost many of the capabilities that can make it return to its former strength.

It added that the Libyan National Army had crushed the organization, along with other terrorist organizations, in a number of Libyan cities.

It added, however, that IS had not been totally defeated in Libya and that instability can open the door for the return of the organization, especially with IS members escaping neighboring countries and searching for a safe refuge.