25 July – 31 July: Airstrikes targeting Al-Qaeda occur near Ubari

Jul 31, 2018 | Other Jihadi Actors

On 25 July, airstrikes are reported to have occurred at approximately 22:30 local time targeting a house in the Sharib area near Ubari in Southern Libya, containing individuals thought to be affiliated with al-Qaeda. The house was believed to have been rented by an Algerian with several cars parked at the front of the building prior to the strike. Six people were killed, three from Algeria, two Malians and a Libyan. The Libyan killed in the strike is said to be al-Qaeda member by the name of Abu al-Leith. The prominent militia leader Yahia Abu Hamam aka Jamal Oskasa and his aide Talha ash-Shanqiti were thought to have been the targets of the strike, but sources suggest they survived. Okasha is an east- Algiers native who was the head of the Mauritanian and Berahiche Arab dominated al-Furqan brigade.

The U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) have denied responsibility for the attack, but carried out a similar strike on the same targets in the same area in March. On 24 March, the US military undertook drone strikes targeting a house near Ubari, allegedly killing two militants that belonged to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) according to a spokeswoman for AFRICOM.