Islamic State in Libya

Branch of Islamic State in Libya

Libyan Provinces

Wilayah al-Fezzan, Wilayah Barqah, Wilayah al-Tarabulus
Leaders| Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (2014–2019) † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2019–2022) † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2022–2022) † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi (2022–2023) † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2023–present) (Leader of ISIL)
Abu Nabil al-Anbari † (Nom de guerre Abul Mughirah al Qahtani)[1][2][3]
Abdul Qader al-Najdi †[3][4]
Abdulsalam Darkullah (2023?) [5]
Dates of operation| 13 November 2014[6][7][8] – present[9][10][11][12]
Headquarters|

* Derna
(2014–18)
* Sirte
(2015–16)
* Benghazi
(2014–17)
* Sabha
(2014–19)

Unknown (2019-)
Active regions| Libya
Ideology| Salafist Islamism
Salafist Jihadism
Size| 600-800 (2024) [13]
180-240 (2023)[5]
50 (2022)[14]
3,000–4,000 (2018)[15]
500 (in 2017)[16]
5,000[17][18][19]–10,000 (in 2016)[20]
Part of|  Islamic State
Opponents|  Libyan Parliament

* Libyan National Army[21][22]

New General National Congress (2014–16)

* Libya Shield Force[23][24]

Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna (2014–18)[25]

* Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade (2014–15)[26]

Australia[27]
Egypt
United States
Tunisia

The Islamic State – Libya Province is a militant Islamist group active in Libya under three branches: Fezzan Province (Arabic: ولاية فزان, Wilayah Fizan) in the desert south, Cyrenaica Province (Arabic: ولاية برقة, Wilayah Barqah) in the east, and Tripolitania Province (Arabic: ولاية طرابلس, Wilayah Tarabulus) in the west.[28][29] The branches were formed on 13 November 2014, following pledges of allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by militants in Libya.[30]

## Background

[edit]

Following the 2011 Libyan Civil War, which resulted in the ousting of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his government, many rebel fighters went to Syria to fight alongside militant groups who were fighting Bashar al-Assad and his loyalists in the Syrian Civil War.[31] In 2012, one group of Libyans fighting in Syria declared the establishment of the Battar Brigade. The Battar Brigade would later pledge loyalty to IS, and fight for it in both Syria and Iraq.[32]

In early 2014, up to 300 Battar Brigade veterans returned to Libya. In Derna, they formed a new faction called the Islamic Youth Shura Council, which began recruiting militants from other local groups. Among those who joined were many members of the Derna branch of Ansar al-Sharia.[32][33] During the next few months, they declared war on anyone in Derna who opposed them, killing judges, civic leaders and other opponents, including local militants who rejected their authority such as the al-Qaeda-allied Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade.[21]

In September 2014, an IS delegation that had been dispatched by the group's leadership arrived in Libya. The representatives included Abu Nabil al Anbari, a senior aide to al-Baghdadi and a veteran of the Iraq conflict,[21] the Saudi Abu Habib al-Jazrawi, and the Yemeni[33] or Saudi[21] Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi, a militant and preacher from Syria.[21][32][34] On 5 October 2014, the Islamic Youth Shura Council-aligned militant factions came together and pledged allegiance to IS. After the pledging ceremony, more than 60 pickup trucks filled with fighters cruised through the city in a victory parade.[33] A second more formal gathering involving a larger array of factions took place on 30 October 2014, where the militants gathered to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the city square.[33][35]

On 13 November 2014, al-Baghdadi released an audio recording in which he accepted pledges of allegiance from supporters in five countries, including Libya, and announced the expansion of his group to those territories.[36] He went on to announce the creation of three "provinces" (wilayah) in Libya: Wilayah al-Fizan (Fezzan in the desert south), Wilayah al-Barqah (Cyrenaica in the east), and Wilayah al-Tarabulus (Tripolitania in the west).[29][28][37] The three wilayahs in Libya represent statelets.[38]

## Operations

[edit]

### Early activities and expansion

[edit]

Maximum extent of IS control in Libya around early 2016.

When founded, IS claimed a presence in al Bayda, Benghazi, Sirte, al-Khums, and the Libyan capital Tripoli.[39] The Cyrenaica branch of IS had around 800 fighters and half a dozen camps in Derna's outskirts. It also had larger facilities in the Jebel Akhdar area, where North African fighters were trained.[21]

In December 2014, IS recruiters in Turkey told their Libyan associates to stop sending fighters to Syria and to focus on domestic attacks, according to the Wall Street Journal. In the following weeks, IS carried out attacks against oil installations and international hotels, performed mass executions and attempted to take over further Libyan territory.[1] The group made tactical alliances with al Qaeda-linked groups that did not formally pledge allegiance to it, such as the Benghazi branch of Ansar al-Sharia,[40][41] members of Tunisia's Ansar al-Sharia, and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's Tarek Ibn Ziyad Brigade.[1] On 30 March 2015, Ansar al-Sharia's general Sharia jurist Abu Abdullah Al-Libi pledged allegiance to IS, a number of the group's members defected with him.[42][43]

The city of Sirte had been loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and suffered massive damage at the conclusion of the 2011 Civil War,[44] later becoming home to militant Islamist groups like Ansar al-Sharia. IS formally announced their presence in Sirte in early 2015, driving a parade of vehicles through the city and declaring it part of their caliphate. Ansar al-Sharia split over how to respond, with most of their members joining IS.[45][46] The group reportedly recruited many locals, former Gaddafi supporters alienated from the post-war political order in Libya, after they "repented" and pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi. They were quickly able to take over much of the city.[46] IS implemented their harsh interpretation of Sharia gradually, first focusing on building loyalty and allegiance from the tribal society of Sirte. In August 2015 Islamic codes of dress and behaviour began to be enforced more strongly and punishments like crucifixions and lashings began to be carried out.[47] There was an uprising against IS in Sirte in the same month, with members of the Ferjani tribe, Salafists and former members of the security forces attacking IS forces. IS brought in reinforcements from outside of Sirte and the uprising was swiftly defeated, with media reports claiming dozens or hundreds of Sirte residents were killed after the fighting.[48]

IS began to solidify its rule in Sirte, increasing its state building efforts and using it as a base to expand its territory.[49] IS fighters from Sirte took over the neighbouring towns of Nofaliya,[50] and Harawa during this period.[51] They also seized control of Ghardabiya Air Base and important infrastructure like power plants and part of the Great Man-Made River water irrigation project.[52][53] By early 2016, there were an estimated 1,500, mostly foreign, fighters in the city,[47] and Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone, commander of NATO's Allied Maritime Command, warned that IS militants aspired to build a maritime arm that could carry out attacks in the Mediterranean Sea against tourist and transfer ships.[54]

The group suffered reverses in other parts of Libya during this period, including in Derna, Benghazi, and Sabratha. In June 2015, clashes erupted in Derna between IS and the rival Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna supported by the Libyan Air Force, which caused heavy casualties on both sides and led to IS forces being driven out of their strongholds in the city the following month.[55][56][57] In November 2015, a US air strike killed ISIL's leader in Libya, Abu Nabil al Anbari.[2] He was succeeded by Abdel Qader al-Najdi.[4] In early 2016, the Khalifa Haftar-led Libyan National Army, reportedly with the assistance of French Special Forces, captured parts of Benghazi that had been held by IS for months.[58] In February 2016, a U.S. air strike targeted an IS training camp near Sabratha, killing more than 40 people including the Tunisian IS member Noureddine Chouchane, linked to the 2015 Sousse attacks,[59][60] as well as two Serbians who had been kidnapped by IS in 2015.[61]

### Loss of territory and activity as raiding force

[edit]

An IS training camp near Sirte in January 2017, shortly after the fall of this city to anti-IS forces.

In December 2016, following a 7-month long battle, IS was cleared from Sirte by Libyan Forces, with assistance from air strikes by the United States.[62] The group withdrew to desert areas south of Sirte, and began mostly low level attacks on Libyan forces and local infrastructure.[63] In January 2017, U.S. airstrikes on an IS base 25 miles southwest of Sirte reportedly killed over 80 militants.[64][65] Having suffered heavy losses, the Libyan branch of IS greatly declined in activity in the next years.[66]

Over a course of ten days in 2019, from September 19 to 29, AFRICOM claimed airstrikes that they carried out on the Islamic State in southwestern Libya on four separate occasions left 43 militants dead.[67] As of 2020, the IS forces in Libya mostly operate as moving insurgencies. Instead of trying to hold territory, they temporarily occupying areas and raid them, launch attacks on security posts, and generally cause instability.[68] IS attacks continue in all parts of Libya.[68] In operating as mobile raiders, the Islamic State militants attempt to prevent the restoration of state authority throughout Libya, thereby maintaining a chaotic situation in which they could attempt a comeback in the future.[69] The IS central command also regards its forces' continued presence in Libya as important due to the area being a useful springboard for terrorist attacks on Europe[70] and for an expansion into and connection with Sub-Saharan Africa.[71]

On June 6, 2021, IS claimed responsibility for a blast that killed 2 police officers, including a senior police officer, during an SVBIED attack in the southern city of Sebha, Libya.[72]

On June 14, 2021, IS activated an IED against a patrol of the Libyan General Haftar's army in the Al-Haruj Mountains, near the city of Fuqaha, about 380 km south of Sirte, killing a Libyan army commander and his escort. They also released photos of their operatives in Libya including a photo of a recent suicide bomber that attacked Libyan police officers on June 6, 2021.[73]

## Foreign fighters

[edit]

In Libya, IS heavily relied on foreign volunteers for its fighting forces. IS recruits came from across the Middle East and Africa.[74] Libyan intelligence chiefs claimed in early February 2016, that the Islamic State is recruiting fighters from Africa's poorest nations, including Chad, Mali and Sudan. IS offers generous salaries compared to the average wages in the region. Many of the fighters reach Libya using existing people-smuggling routes used by African migrants heading to Europe.[75] Following the battle of Sirte during which most of IS's foreign forces in Libya were killed,[66] the Libyan branch increasingly recruited Sub-Saharan Africans into its ranks.[76]

## Propaganda

[edit]

The "Media Office for Cyrenaica Province" has published photos and other material showing buildings with IS insignia, suicide bombers, parades, and pledges of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[77] A reporter for The New York Times who visited the outskirts of Sirte found that IS had taken over the local radio station, and all four stations on the dial were being used to transmit Islamic sermons.[45]

IS in Libya had threatened to facilitate the arrival of thousands of migrants to destabilize Europe if they are attacked.[78]

## Laws

[edit]

Billboards instructing women how to dress according to Sharia were erected in Sirte in July 2015. The billboard gave a list of restrictions on dress for women.
"Instructions on wearing the hijab according to Sharia

1. It must be thick and not revealing
2. It must be loose (not tight)
3. It must cover all the body
4. It must not be attractive
5. It must not resemble the clothes of unbelievers or men
6. It must not be decorative and eye-catching
7. It must not be perfumed."[47]

## Human rights abuses and war crimes allegations

[edit]

Main article: Human rights in ISIL-controlled territory

By late 2014, Derna was fully under IS control, with the Black Standard flying over government buildings, police cars carrying IS insignia, and the local football stadium being used for public executions.[79] A Human Rights Watch report accused IS linked groups in control of Derna of war crimes and human rights abuses that include terrorizing residents in the absence of state authorities and the rule of law. Human Rights Watch documented 3 apparent summary executions and at least 10 public floggings by the Islamic Youth Shura Council, which joined IS in November 2014. They also documented beheadings of three Derna residents and 250 seemingly politically motivated assassinations of judges, public officials, members of the security forces, journalists, and others with no public investigations. Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW Middle East, and North Africa director said, "Commanders should understand that they may face domestic or international prosecution for the grave rights abuses their forces are committing."[80]

Under IS's watch, women increasingly wore face veils and young men caught drinking alcohol were flogged. Education changes included male/female segregation of students, and the removal of history and geography from the curriculum. New Islamic religious police flyers ordered clothing stores to cover their mannequins and not to display "scandalous women's clothes that cause sedition." The law school was closed.[33]

## Claimed and alleged attacks

[edit]

* In November 2014, IS's Cyrenaica wing claimed it had previously dispatched nine suicide bombers from Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia to carry out attacks against Libyan security forces in and around Benghazi. CNN reported that several of these attacks seemed to correspond to previously unclaimed suicide bombings, including a twin-attack on a Libyan special forces camp in Benghazi on 23 July 2014 and a 2 October 2014 attack on a military checkpoint near Benina airport.[21]
* IS's Cyrenaica Province is the prime suspect in a 12 November 2014 suicide bombing in Tobruk that killed one and wounded 14, and a bombing outside Labraq air force base in Al-Bayda that killed four, according to a CNN report.[21][81]
* On 13 November 2014, bombs exploded near the embassies of Egypt and the UAE in Tripoli, however no casualties were reported. An IS-linked Twitter account suggested their Tripoli wing was responsible for the attacks, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.[82]
* In December 2014, the beheaded bodies of Mohammed Battu and Sirak Qath, human rights activists abducted in Derna on 6 November 2014, were found.[83]
* In January 2015, IS's Cyrenaica branch published photos claiming to show the execution of two Tunisian journalists who had been kidnapped in September 2014.[84]
* On 27 January 2015, an attack on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli involving gunmen and a car bomb killed at least ten people, including five foreigners. The IS's Tripoli branch claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming it was revenge for the death of Libyan al-Qaeda operative Abu Anas al-Libi in American custody earlier in the month.[85][86]
* On 3 February 2015, gunmen claiming to represent IS stormed a French-Libyan oil field near the town of Mabruk, killing nine guards.[1]
* On 15 February 2015, IS released a video showing the beheading of 21 Christian Egyptians who had been kidnapped in Sirte.[87] IS's Dabiq magazine had earlier published photos of the Copts and threatened to kill them to "avenge the kidnapping of Muslim women by the Egyptian Coptic Church".[88]
* On 20 February 2015, the IS carried out bombings in Al Qubbah, which targeted a petrol station, a police station and the home of the Libyan parliamentary speaker, killing at least 40 people.[89]
* On 24 March 2015, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing that killed five soldiers and two civilians at an army checkpoint in Benghazi.[90]
* On 5 April 2015, IS's Tripolitania branch claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on a checkpoint outside Misrata, which killed four and wounded 21.[91]
* On 13 April 2015, militants claiming loyalty to IS posted claims of responsibility on Twitter for a bombing outside the Moroccan embassy that caused no casualties, and a gun attack on the South Korean embassy the day before that killed two guards.[92]
* On 19 April 2015, a video was released online by IS showing the killing of approximately 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya. 15 of the men were beheaded, and another group of the same size were shot in the head.[93]
* On 27 April 2015, the bodies of five men with slit throats were found in the Green Mountain forests. The bodies were identified as five journalists working for a Libyan TV station who had been kidnapped at an IS checkpoint in August 2014.[94]
* On 9 June 2015, US government officials confirmed that IS in Libya had captured 86 Eritrean migrants south of Tripoli.[95]
* On 10 June 2015, IS gunmen in Derna killed Nasser Akr and Salem Derbi, two senior commanders of the Al-Qaeda affiliated Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna.[25]
* On 7 January 2016, IS carried out a truck bomb attack against a police training center in Zliten, killing at least 60 and wounding around 200.[96]
* On 25 February 2016, IS fighters in Sabratha took control of a security headquarters, killing and beheading 12 security officers before being driven out the next day.
* On 11 September 2018, IS fighters in Tripoli carried out an attack on the National Oil Corporation of Libya, which is part of an area claimed by IS as its "Libya Wilayat-Tripoli Region".[97]
* On 28 October 2018, at least 5 people were killed, including the son of the chairman of the local council, and at least 10 people, including employees of local police stations, were abducted in an IS attack on the Libyan town of Fuqaha. IS attacked the desert town with 25 vehicles and set local government buildings and police stations on fire before fleeing southward to the Haruj mountains to avoid a confrontation with LNA forces.[98][99]
* On 8 July 2019, a group of IS fighters appeared in southern Libya under the command of Abu Musab al-Libi and took responsibility for an attack that killed and wounded an unidentified number of LNA members on 3 July. Al-Libi was previously a commander of IS fighters in Benghazi.[100]
* On 23 May 2020, a blast targeted a security point manned by LNA soldiers at the entrance to Traghan, southern Libya. There were no casualties, but IS claimed responsibility for the incident, making it the first claimed attack in almost a year.[101]
* On 6 June 2021, a blast killed at least two people, including a senior police officer, at a checkpoint in the southern city of Sebha. IS claimed responsibility for the explosion, saying that one of its militants carried out a suicide bombing by attacking the checkpoint in an explosive-filled car.[102]

## Commentary and significance

[edit]

The growth of its branch in Libya is seen by IS and its proponents as a model for IS expansion outside Iraq and Syria.[26][103]

The Long War Journal wrote that no well-established Libyan militant organizations had pledged their support to the group and that "the Islamic State has failed, thus far, to garner the allegiance of  Ansar al Sharia Libya, which is notorious for its role in the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attacks in Benghazi and remains one of the most powerful jihadist organizations in eastern Libya. None of Ansar al Sharia's allies in the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council, the Islamist coalition fighting General Khalifa Haftar's forces for control of territory, pledged allegiance to Baghdadi. The Islamic State has supporters in Libya, particularly among the jihadist youth. But other groups are still, by all outward appearances, more entrenched."[104]

Libya Dawn claimed that it had intelligence reports showing that those who claimed to support IS in Tripoli were agents provocateur planted by foreign countries to discredit it. The statement was viewed as an attempt to explain away the growing issue of the extremists in western Libya, with IS supporters said to be present at the Majr camp in Zliten, and in Sabratha.[105] Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat and Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil called for the United Nations and European Union to intervene in Libya to prevent the country from becoming a failed state.[106][107]

## Designation as a terrorist organization

[edit]

Country  | Date  | References

|
|

United States | 19 May 2016  | [108]
Australia | 28 November 2016  | [109]
Iraq | 10 March 2020  | [110]

## See also

[edit]

* Libya portal

* List of wars and battles involving IS

## References

[edit]

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60. ^ Greg Botelho and Barbara Starr, CNN (19 February 2016). "U.S. strikes ISIS camp in Libya; 49 killed". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016. `{{cite web}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)
61. ^ Greg Botelho and Barbara Starr, CNN (20 February 2016). "U.S. strikes ISIS camp in Libya; 49 killed". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016. `{{cite web}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)
62. ^ "Libyan forces clear last Islamic State hold-out in Sirte". Reuters. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
63. ^ "Islamic State shifts to Libya's desert valleys after Sirte defeat". Reuters. 10 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
64. ^ Schmitt, Eric; Gordon, Michael R. (19 January 2017). "U.S. Bombs ISIS Camps in Libya". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
65. ^ "Libyan forces say they found 90 bodies at site of U.S. air strike". Reuters. 26 January 2017. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
66. ^ a b Aaron Y. Zelin (6 December 2019). "The Islamic State in Libya Has Yet to Recover". Washington Institute. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
67. ^ "US says airstrike against ISIS in Libya kills seven". Al Arabiya. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
68. ^ a b Trauthig 2020, pp. 13, 18.
69. ^ Trauthig 2020, p. 19.
70. ^ Trauthig 2020, pp. 13, 21.
71. ^ Trauthig 2020, p. 22.
72. ^ "Libya: ISIS claims responsibility for killing two security forces in car bomb blast | the North Africa Post".
73. ^ "Spotlight on Global Jihad (June 9 – 16, 2021)". 17 June 2021.
74. ^ Trauthig 2020, p. 12.
75. ^ "Isil recruiting migrant 'army of the poor' with $1,000 sign-up bonuses". Telegraph.co.uk. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
76. ^ Trauthig 2020, pp. 12, 22.
77. ^ "The Emergence of the Islamic State's 'Cyrenaica Province' (Wilayat al-Barqa) in Libya". GLORIA Center. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
78. ^ "11,000 migrants land in Italy in a week, ISIS had warned of sending over 500,000". The Independent. 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
79. ^ Fadel, Leila (18 November 2014). "With Cash And Cachet, The Islamic State Expands Its Empire". Parallels. NPR. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
80. ^ "Libya: Extremists Terrorizing Derna Residents". Human Rights Watch. 27 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
81. ^ "Libya bombings: Tobruk and al-Bayda attacked". BBC. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
82. ^ "Bombs explode near Egyptian and UAE embassies in Libyan capital". Reuters. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
83. ^ "ISIS: Libya, two human rights activists beheaded in Derna - General news - ANSAMed.it". 11 November 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
84. ^ "ISIS Claims To Have Executed Two Tunisian Journalists". International Business Times. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
85. ^ "′Islamic State′ attacks Libya hotel - News - DW.DE - 27.01.2015". DW.DE. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
86. ^ Karadsheh, Jomana; Alkhshali, Hamdi (28 January 2015). "Gunmen attack Corinthia Hotel in Libya; at least 10 die". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
87. ^ "ISIL video shows Christian Egyptians beheaded in Libya". Al Jazeera. 16 Feb 2015. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
88. ^ El-Gundy, Zeinab (12 February 2015). "Islamic State publishes report on Coptic Egyptian workers kidnapped in Libya". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
89. ^ "Libya violence: Islamic State attack 'kills 40' in al-Qubbah". BBC. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
90. ^ "Islamic State claims suicide bombing in Libya's Benghazi". Reuters. 24 March 2015. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
91. ^ "Four dead in Libya suicide bombing claimed by IS". AFP. 5 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
92. ^ "Islamic State militants claim attacks on embassies in Libya". Reuters. 12 April 2015. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
93. ^ "Islamic State shot and beheaded 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya: video". Reuters. 19 April 2015. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
94. ^ "Islamic State kills five journalists working for Libyan TV station-army official". Reuters. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 30 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
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97. ^ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dm1E1MiWwAAwMOu.jpg [bare URL image file]
98. ^ "ISIS blamed for attack in central Libya that killed 5". TheDefensePost. Archived from the original on 2018-10-29. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
99. ^ "Libya's police station in Jufra attacked by ISIS, 4 killed and 8 kidnapped". www.libyanexpress.com. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
100. ^ "ISIS re-emerges in southern Libya, vows to target Haftar 'apostates'". Al Arabiya. 8 July 2019. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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102. ^ "Blast kills two at southern Libya checkpoint". Reuters. June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
103. ^ "Libyan city is first outside Syria, Iraq to join ISIS". Haaretz.com. 10 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
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### Works cited

[edit]

* Trauthig, Inga Kristina (2020). "Islamic State in Libya: From Force to Farce?" (PDF). London: ICSR. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)

## Further reading

[edit]

* Warner, Jason; O'Farrell, Ryan; Nsaibia, Héni; Cummings, Ryan (2020). "Outlasting the Caliphate: The Evolution of the Islamic State Threat in Africa" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 13 (11). West Point, New York: Combating Terrorism Center: 18–33.

* v
* t
* e

War against the Islamic State

Operations in Syria|

* Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war
* American rescue mission (4 July 2014)
* US intervention in Syria (22 September 2014 – present)
* Jordanian intervention in Syria (22 September 2014 – present)
* Turkish intervention in Syria (24 August 2016 – 29 March 2017)
* Russian intervention in Syria (30 September 2015 – present)
* French intervention in Syria (November 2015 – present)
* British intervention in Syria (2 December 2015 – present)
* German intervention in Syria (4 December 2015 – 12 January 2022)
* Dutch involvement in the Syrian civil war (29 January 2014 – present)
* Barisha raid (26–27 October 2019)

Operations in Iraq & Kurdistan Region|

* Iranian-led intervention in Iraq (13 June 2014 – present)
* American-led intervention in Iraq (15 June 2014 – 9 December 2021)
* withdrawal
* British intervention in Iraq (9 August 2014 – present)
* Australian intervention in Iraq (31 August 2014 – present)
* Canadian intervention in Iraq (4 September 2014 – present)
* French intervention in Iraq (19 September 2014 – present)
* Turkey–Islamic State conflict
* German intervention in Iraq (4 December 2015 – present)

Operations in Libya|

* Egyptian airstrikes in Libya (16 February 2015)

Operations in Afghanistan|

* Taliban security operations (2015–present)
* American-led intervention in Afghanistan (2015–2021)
* 2017 Nangarhar airstrike

Battles|

* Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)
* First Battle of Tikrit
* Northern Iraq offensive (August 2014)
* Battle for Mosul Dam
* Battle of Zumar
* Sinjar massacre
* Siege of Amirli
* Siege of Kobanî
* Battle of Suq al Ghazi
* Salahuddin campaign (2014–2016)
* Battle of Baiji (2014–2015)
* Battle of Ramadi (2014–2015)
* Battle of Baiji (2014–2015)
* December 2014 Sinjar offensive
* Derna campaign (2014–2016)
* Eastern al-Hasakah offensive
* Second Battle of Tikrit
* Battle of Sarrin (March–April 2015)
* Anbar campaign (2015–2016)
* Palmyra offensive (May 2015)
* Western al-Hasakah offensive
* Al-Hasakah city offensive (May–June 2015)
* Tell Abyad offensive
* Battle of Sarrin (June–July 2015)
* Battle of al-Hasakah (June–August 2015)
* Kobanî massacre
* Battle of Ramadi (2015–2016)
* 2015 al-Hawl offensive
* November 2015 Sinjar offensive
* Nineveh Plains offensive
* Tishrin Dam offensive
* Siege of Fallujah (2016)
* Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016)
* Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016)
* Battle of Hit (2016)
* Mosul offensive (2016)
* Battle of Sirte (2016)
* Battle of Ar-Rutbah (2016)
* Northern Raqqa offensive (May 2016)
* Third Battle of Fallujah (2016)
* Manbij offensive (2016)
* 2016 Abu Kamal offensive
* Operation Euphrates Shield
* Battle of Mosul (2016–2017)
* Raqqa campaign (2016–2017)
* Battle of Tabqa (2017)
* Battle of Raqqa (2017)
* Syrian Desert campaign (December 2016–April 2017)
* Battle of Tal Afar (2017)
* Deir ez-Zor campaign (2017–2019)
* Battle of Hawija (2017)
* 2017 Western Iraq campaign

Related|

* Defeating ISIS
* Aerial order of battle
* Ground order of battle
* Iran and the Islamic State
* Operation Inherent Resolve
* Timeline of US intervention in the Syrian civil war
* American military intervention in Cameroon
* Response of Saudi Arabia to the Islamic State
* Collaborationism
* List of military awards and decorations of the international military intervention against the Islamic State

* War in Iraq (2013–2017)
* Syrian civil war

* v
* t
* e

Islamic State

Names of the Islamic State

Members
(List of leaders)|

| Current|

* Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari
* Abdul Qadir Mumin
* Abu Fatima al-Jaheishi
* Abu Yusaf
* Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi
* Abu Habib al-Libi
* Abu Jandal al-Masri
* Zulfi Hoxha
* Bajro Ikanović
* Faysal Ahmad Ali al-Zahrani
* Fatiha Mejjati
* Ahlam al-Nasr
* Issam Abuanza
* Hayat Boumeddiene

|

† Former|

* Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
* Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi
* Abu Ahmad al-Alwani
* Haji Bakr
* Abu Usamah al-Maghrebi
* Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi
* Abu Muhannad al-Suwaydawi
* Abdul Rauf Aliza
* Abu Sayyaf
* Ali Awni al-Harzi
* Tariq al-Harzi
* Abu Khattab al-Tunisi
* Maher Meshaal
* Abu Muslim al-Turkmani
* Abu Saleh
* Mohammed Emwazi
* Abu Nabil al-Anbari
* Abu Ali al-Anbari
* Abu Waheeb
* Ali Aswad al-Jiburi
* Abu Omar al-Shishani
* Abu Mohammad al-Adnani
* Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
* Abu Muhammad al-Furqan
* Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti
* Abu Bilal al-Harbi
* Ahmad Abousamra
* Turki al-Binali
* Tareq Kamleh
* Lavdrim Muhaxheri
* Abu Osama al-Masri
* Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
* Abu Muhammad al-Shimali
* Gulmurod Khalimov
* Abdul Nasser Qardash (captured)
* Abu Yasser al-Issawi
* Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi
* Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
* Yusuf al-Hindi
* Abu Omar al-Muhajir (captured)
* Othman al-Nazih
* Jamal Udeen Al-Harith
* Aine Davis (captured)
* Alexanda Kotey (captured)
* El Shafee Elsheikh (captured)
* Denis Cuspert
* Abdelhamid Abaaoud

History|

* Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (1999–2004)
* Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004–2006)
* Mujahideen Shura Council (2006)
* Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)
* Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–2014)
* Islamic State (2014–present)

Timeline of events|

* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Groups|

| International branches|

* Khorasan Province (Afghanistan and Pakistan)
* Libyan Provinces (Libya)
* Caucasus Province (North Caucasus, Russia)
* Sinai Province (Sinai, Egypt)
* Algeria Province (Algeria)
* Yemen Province (Yemen)
* Abnaa ul-Calipha (Somalia and Somaliland)
* Bengal Province (Bangladesh)
* Boko Haram (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Mali) (2015–2016)
* West Africa Province (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger)
* Central Africa Province (DR Congo, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania)
* Greater Sahara Province (Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso)
* Khalid ibn al-Walid Army (Syria) (2016–2018)
* Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade (Gaza)
* Abu Sayyaf (Philippines) (1991–2024)
* Ansar Khalifa (Philippines) (2014–2021)
* Ansar al-Khilafah Brazil (Brazil) (2016–2018)
* East Indonesia Mujahideen (Indonesia) (2014–2022)

|

Unorganized cells|

* Azerbaijan Province (Azerbaijan)
* Hind Province (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh)
* Jammu and Kashmir Province (Jammu and Kashmir)
* Pakistan Province (Pakistan)
* Kurdistan Province (Kurdistan)
* Turkey Province (Turkey)
* Haramayn Province (Saudi Arabia and Bahrain)
* Lebanon Province (Lebanon)
* Tunis Province (Tunisia)
* Misr Province (Egypt)
* Muzambiq Province (Mozambique and Tanzania)
* Brussels Islamic State terror cell (Belgium)

Wars|

* War on terror
* Iraq War
* Insurgency (2003–2011)
* Iraqi civil war (2006–2008)
* Insurgency (2011–2013)
* War in Iraq (2013–2017)
* Insurgency (2017–present)
* Syrian civil war
* Spillover
* Spillover in Lebanon
* Opposition–Islamic State conflict
* Sinai insurgency
* Second Libyan Civil War
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
* Mozambique
* Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
* Mali War
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* Conflict with Taliban
* Moro conflict (1968–2019)
* al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
* Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
* Boko Haram insurgency
* Military intervention against IS
* US intervention in Iraq
* US intervention in Syria
* Russian intervention in Syria
* Turkish operation
* Somalia

Battles|

| 2013|

* Akashat
* Hawija
* Raqqa
* Al-Shabah
* Ras al-Ayn
* Tell Abyad
* Latakia
* Menagh
* Sidi Ali Ben Aoun
* Sadad
* Qalamoun
* Aleppo
* Al-Yaarubiyah
* Tell Hamis and Tell Brak
* Anbar

|

2014|

* Fallujah
* N Aleppo
* Markada
* N Iraq (Jun)
* Mosul
* Salahuddin
* Baiji (Jun)
* Tikrit
* N Iraq (Aug)
* Kobanî
* Sinjar (Aug)
* Derna
* Ramadi
* Deir ez-Zor
* Baiji (14–15)
* Sinjar (Dec)
* Zumar
* Amirli

2015|

* Nofaliya
* W Africa
* Egyptian airstrikes in Libya
* Niger raid
* E al-Hasakah
* Tikrit
* Sirte
* Hama & Homs (Mar–Apr)
* Sarrin (Mar–Apr)
* Yarmouk
* Qalamoun
* Palmyra (May)
* W al-Hasakah
* Al-Hasakah city
* Tell Abyad
* Sarrin (Jun–Jul)
* Al-Hasakah
* Kobani
* Palmyra (Jul–Aug)
* Ramadi (15–16)
* Al-Qaryatayn
* Al-Hawl
* Homs (Nov–Dec)
* Sinjar
* E Aleppo (15–16)
* Niveneh Plains
* Tishrin Dam

2016|

* Deir ez-Zor (Jan)
* Fallujah (Feb–May)
* Nangarhar
* Ben Guerdane
* Ithriyah-Raqqa (Feb–Mar)
* Al-Shaddadi
* Khanasir
* Al-Qaryatayn (Mar–Apr)
* Palmyra (Mar)
* N Aleppo (Mar–Jun)
* Hīt
* Tipo-Tipo
* Sirte
* Ar-Rutbah
* N Raqqa
* Fallujah (May–Jun)
* Manbij
* Ithriyah-Raqqa (Jun)
* Abu Kamal
* al-Rai (Aug)
* N al-Bab (Sep)
* W al-Bab (Sep)
* Dabiq
* W al-Bab (Oct–Nov)
* Al-Bab
* Aleppo
* Palmyra

2017|

* Mosul (16–17)
* Raqqa (16–17)
* Palmyra
* Deir ez-Zor (Jan–Feb)
* E Aleppo (Jan–Apr)
* E Homs
* Hama
* W Nineveh
* Tabqa
* Syrian Desert (Dec 16–Apr 17)
* Syrian Desert (May–Jul)
* Maskanah
* Marawi
* Raqqa
* S Raqqa
* C Syria
* Tal Afar
* Deir ez-Zor (17–19)
* Hawija
* E Syria (Sep–Dec)
* NW Syria (Oct 17–Feb 18)
* Abu Kamal
* W Iraq

2018|

* As-Suwayda (Jun)
* S Syria
* As-Suwayda (Aug–Nov)

2019|

* Hajin
* Baghuz Fawqani
* Barisha raid

2020|

* Chinagodrar
* Danag
* Mocímboa da Praia
* Al Bayda

2021|

* Tessit
* Palma
* Sambisa
* Dangarous

2022|

* Al-Hasakah
* Atme raid
* Andéramboukane
* Talataye

2023|

* Falagountou

Attacks|

| 2014|

* Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting
* Camp Speicher massacre
* Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ramming

|

2015|

* Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege
* Beheading of Copts in Libya
* Corinthia Hotel
* Al Qubbah bombings
* Bardo National Museum
* Sanaa bombings (Mar)
* Jalalabad bombing
* Curtis Culwell Center
* Qatif & Dammam bombings
* 26 June
* Kobanî massacre
* Saint-Quentin-Fallavier
* Kuwait mosque bombing
* Sousse
* Khan Bani Saad bombing
* Suruç bombing
* Baghdad bombing (Aug)
* Sanaa bombing (Sep)
* Ankara bombings
* Saihat shooting
* Metrojet Flight 9268
* Beirut bombings
* Paris (Nov)
* Tunis bombing
* San Bernardino attack
* Qamishli bombings

2016|

* Zliten truck bombing
* Hurghada
* Istanbul bombing (Jan)
* Jakarta
* Ramadi bombing
* Mahasin mosque
* Sayyidah Zaynab (Jan)
* Mosul massacre
* Homs bombings (Feb)
* Sayyidah Zaynab bombings (Feb)
* Baghdad bombings (Feb)
* Istanbul bombing (Mar)
* Brussels bombings
* Aden bombing
* Iskandariya bombing
* Baghdad bombing (Apr)
* Samawa bombing
* Gaziantep bombing (May)
* Baghdad bombings (11 May)
* Real Madrid fan club massacres
* Baghdad gas plant
* Yemen police bombings (15 May)
* Baghdad bombings (17 May)
* Jableh & Tartous bombings (May)
* Yemen bombings (23 May)
* Aktobe shootings
* Pulse nightclub shooting
* Magnanville stabbing
* Mukalla (Jun)
* Movida Bar
* Atatürk Airport
* Dhaka (Jul)
* Karrada bombing
* Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi Mausoleum
* Nice truck
* Würzburg train
* Kabul bombing (Jul)
* Ansbach bombing
* Normandy church
* Qamishli bombings (Jul)
* Charleroi stabbing
* Shchelkovo Highway police station
* Aden bombing (Aug)
* Syria bombings (5 Sep)
* Baghdad bombings (9 Sep)
* Baghdad bombings (Oct)
* Quetta police college
* Hamam al-Alil massacre
* Khuzdar bombing
* Samarinda bombing
* Hillah bombing (Nov)
* Aden bombings (Dec)
* Botroseya bombing
* Al-Karak
* Berlin truck
* Murders of Sefter Taş and Fethi Şahin
* Baghdad bombings (Dec)

2017|

* Istanbul nightclub shooting
* Baghdad bombings (2 Jan)
* Azaz bombing (Jan)
* Sehwan bombing
* Kabul (Mar)
* Westminster
* St Petersburg Metro bombing
* Egypt church bombings
* Mastung bombing
* Manchester Arena bombing
* Jakarta bombings
* Minya
* Al-Faqma bombing
* London Bridge
* Brighton siege
* Tehran
* Pakistan attacks (Jun)
* Hurghada
* Quetta bombing (Aug)
* Barcelona
* Brussels (Aug)
* Nasiriyah
* Afghanistan (20 Oct)
* New York City truck
* Sinai mosque
* Kabul bombing (28 Dec)
* Saint Menas church

2018|

* Baghdad bombings
* Save The Children Jalalabad
* Kizlyar church shooting
* Kabul bombing (Mar)
* Carcasonne & Trèbes
* Kabul bombing (22 Apr)
* Kabul bombings (30 Apr)
* Tripoli
* Mako Brimob standoff
* Paris knife
* Surabaya bombings
* Liège
* Jalalabad bombing (Jul)
* Mastung & Bannu bombings
* Quetta bombing
* As-Suwayda
* Tajikistan attack
* Kabul (Sep)
* Ahvaz military parade
* Minya bus
* Melbourne stabbing
* Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland

2019|

* Jolo Cathedral bombings
* Sri Lanka Easter bombings
* Sainthamaruthu shootout
* Kabul bombing (17 Aug)

2020|

* Kabul shooting (6 Mar)
* Kabul gurdwara
* Xitaxi
* Afghanistan (May)
* Jalalabad prison
* Jolo bombings
* Kabul University
* Vienna
* Afghanistan (Dec)

2021|

* Machh
* January Baghdad bombings
* Kabul school bombing
* Kabul airport
* Kunduz bombing
* Kandahar bombing
* Kampala bombings
* Kabul hospital

2022|

* Diyala massacre
* Peshawar mosque
* Hadera shooting
* Mazar-i-Sharif mosque bombing
* Mazar-i-Sharif minivan bombings
* Bourasso and Namissiguima
* Kuje prison break
* 5 August Kabul bombing
* August Kabul mosque bombing
* Bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul
* Shah Cheragh
* Kabul hotel

2023|

* Kabul airport bombing
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan bombing
* Al-Sukhnah
* Hama
* Khar bombing
* Arras school stabbing
* Pul-i-Khumri bombing
* Brussels shooting
* Kabul bombing (Nov)
* Paris
* Mindanao State University bombing

2024|

* Kerman bombings
* Istanbul church shooting
* Balochistan bombings
* Sibi bombing
* Zürich stabbing attack
* Mucojo attack
* Karabulak clash
* Kandahar New Kabul Bank bombing
* Tillabéri attack
* Crocus City Hall attack
* 2024 Bamyan shooting

Politics and organization|

* Finances
* Ideology
* Medicare
* Military
* Armoured warfare
* Human rights
* Genocide of Christians
* Persecution of Shias
* Genocide of Yazidis
* Genocide of Turkmen
* Persecution of gay and bisexual men
* Killing of captives
* Beheading incidents
* Destruction of cultural heritage
* Occupation of Mosul
* Executions in Mosul

Relations|

* Iran and the Islamic State
* Philippines and the Islamic State
* United Kingdom and the Islamic State
* Trinidad and Tobago and the Islamic State
* Foreign fighters
* Name changes due to the Islamic State
* Portrayal of the Islamic State in American media
* Connection with Saddam Regime and Baath Party

Society|

* Members
* Terrorist cell in Brussels
* Territorial claims
* al-Barakah district
* Collaboration

Media|

* A Second Message to America
* Al-Bayan
* Al-Furat Media Center
* Al-Hayat Media Center
* Al-Naba
* Amaq News Agency
* Dar al-Islam
* Dabiq
* Dawlat al-Islam Qamat
* Huroof
* I'lam foundation
* Istok
* Konstantiniyye
* Rumiyah
* Salil al-Sawarim

Related topics|

* Defeating ISIS
* ISIS-chan
* Islamism
* Millenarianism
* Sexual violence in the Iraqi insurgency
* Shia–Sunni relations
* Slavery in 21st-century jihadism
* Theocracy

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