Action — 14 April 2016

Apr 14, 2016 | ISIS

Heavy fighting between ISIS and the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) in Garrah Al Haddad, an area between Bin Jawwad and Sidra, took place on 3 April. One PFG member was killed in the battle. That same day, ISIS issued a statement saying it had manged to thwart the advance and push the PFG eastward from Bin Jawwad.  Later, on 11 April fighting erupted when a PFG reconnaissance unit advanced towards Bin Jawwad to head off ISIS forces, which have reportedly been gathering in the town, and nearby Nawfaliyah, for some time. ISIS also targeted PFG forces near Sidra with 106mm recoilless rifle.

On 13 April, a suicide bombing at the Zuqra checkpoint three kilometres south of the Sadada bridge checkpoint (which is manned by Misratan fighters) and 65 kilometres southeast of Bani Walid, killed one person and injured four others.  During the attack, local sources reported that other ISIS militants also raided the 28 May Revolutionaries’ position in ‘Sadada Castle’, The 28 May Revolutionaries is a group affiliated with hardliners from Misrata and Libya Dawn.  Unverified reports indicate that the commanders of the 28 May Revolutionaries, Fathy Zilly and Emrajaa Mohammed, were both killed in the attack, along with five others. Meanwhile, other reports point to increased ISIS movement south from Sirte, with possible intentions of attacking Jufra.

On 10 April, ISIS conducted an IED attack on a Libyan National Army (LNA) unit in Al Hawari near the agricultural feed factory, an area that the LNA had retaken in recent weeks. On the same day, ISIS claimed two separate attacks on the Mujahedeen Shura Council of Derna and LNA in Al Heela area, east of Derna, using mortars and heavy artillery. ISIS also claimed three small attacks in southwestern Benghazi on 12 April, specifically in Sabri, Souq Al Hout and Al Nawagiyah.

On 7 April freelance journalists Marco Arnaboldi and Daniele Raineri published a comprehensive operational chart of the Islamic State in Libya, which you can find here.