On 9 May, ISIS conducted a daylight attack on the town of Ghadduwa. On 9 May, ISIS released its al-Naba newsletter no 181 that featured as its cover and main article the group’s 4 May attack. On 12 May, UK-based tabloid the Sunday Express reported that British military officials believe ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been hiding in Libya. On 14 May, the Sabratha Operations Room claim suspected ISIS member Safwan Abdul Majid was killed in an LNA airstrike in Zawiyya.

On 4 May, ISIS claimed an attack against the LNA’s 160 Brigade Jabril Baba training camp in Sebha. On 25 April, the GNA MoI arrested Yasser Saleh Khalifa al-Majri for his alleged membership to ISIS. On 25 April, ISIS fighters attacked the home of a LNA supporter, Khaloukh Massoud, in Ghadduwa.

On 29 April, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared in a video for the first time in five years. In his message, Baghdadi said that he sees Africa as an important location for the group’s future operations. He said that ISIS could be effective in Libya despite losing Sirte in 2016. He called on ISIS fighters in Libya to carry out a war of attrition and praised the recent ISIS attacks against the town of Fuqaha, in Libya’s central region, saying they were in revenge for ISIS’s defeat in al-Baghuz, Syria.

On 21 April, ISIS Fezzan Branch published a series of photos and a short video of an alleged attack on LNA forces south of Sebha. This follows the publication of ISIS Naba no. 178 on 18 April, which included details of ISIS’ assault on Ghadduwa.

On 13 April, the GNA Ministry of Interior announce the arrest of ISIS member Anas Abrik Zouki. On 11 April, ISIS claim to have killed six LNA fighters in Ghadduwa, in south-western Libya. On 11 April, ISIS released its Naba newsletter no. 177 , which included details on the group’s recent attacks on Fuqaha and Ghadduwa.

On 9 April, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on the town of Fuqaha, in the southern Jufra region. Arriving in as many as 15 vehicles, ISIS cut off communications to the town, burnt down several houses and executed the head of the municipal guard.

On 25 March, the Sabratha Security Directorate arrested a suspected ISIS member. On 28 March, a Libyan news media outlet published the testimony of a civilian kidnapped by ISIS late last year. On 1 April, the Misrata Security Directorate disposed of four tonnes of UXOs planted by ISIS in 2016.

On 22 March, Rada arrested a notable ISIS fighter from Sirte, Ahmed Masoud Ammari, On 22 March, a former local security force member thought killed by ISIS was found dead near al-Bartamah. On 21 March, the SPF disposed of three unexploded ordinances suspected of being from when ISIS had control of the city in 2016.

On 18 March, ISIS spokesman released a new speech which includes comments on fighters in Libya. On 13 March, Morocco’s BCIJ arrested a six member terrorist cell, with one of the terror suspects having been previously imprisoned over connections to ISIS in Libya. On 8 March, French newspaper Liberation published an article suggesting that a senior figure of ISIS may have visited Libya in April 2017.

On 7 March, a gang of five men suspected of having connections to ISIS were arrested as they reportedly attempted in to ‘infiltrate’ Tripoli.

On 28 February, ISIS published al-Naba newsletter no. 171, which featured an article titled “The fate of Sirte is not the fate Derna.”

On 19 February, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, stated that ISIS in Libya was “boosting ties with al-Qaeda.” On 26 February, Tunisian security forces captured ISIS member, Hicham Krouma, who is said to have spent time in Derna. On 26 February, security forces in Sirte arrested ISIS member Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh Al-Qaziri at his home in Sirte.

On 13 February, the Sirte Military Engineering Corps recovered unexploded ordnance left behind by ISIS on the Abu Hadi Road in Sirte. After closing the road for quarter of an hour, the disposal team recovered the explosive and later detonated it.

On 7 February, GNA Foreign Minister Mohamed Siyala participated in the Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Intentional Coalition for Defeating ISIS.

On 31 January, the Sirte-based 166 Battalion arrested Khalifa Barq, a notable leader of Ansar al-Sharia and ISIS loyalist.

On 27 January, a Tunisian government delegation travelled to the Libyan Red Crescent branch in Misrata to complete repatriation procedures for children whose Tunisian parents fought for ISIS in Sirte.