5 September – 11 September: ISIS attack NOC HQ in Tripoli

Sep 11, 2018 | ISIS

On 10 September, three ISIS fighters raided Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) offices in central Tripoli, leaving at least two staff members dead and another 10 injured. The Special Deterrence Force (Rada) were reportedly deployed to the area and engaged in a shoot out with the assailants.

National Oil Corporation (NOC) Chairman Mustafa Sanallha was inside the headquarters at the time of the incident but was safely removed from the building by Rada. Following the incident, Rada published photos from surveillance camera footage showing the assailants entering the building and the arms and ammunition that had been seized. The images also show that the building has suffered some damage as a result of the attack. The following day ISIS’s media wing, Nashir, claimed responsibility for the attack.

This is not the first time a major attack has been carried out by a terrorist group on a key national institution in Tripoli. On 2 May, ISIS fighters attacked the High National Election Commission Office (HNEC) building in the Ghout al-Shaal area of Tripoli. Following a brief shootout with security guards, two assailants detonated explosive vests. As many as 16 people were killed and more than 19 were injured.