Other 13 Sept 16

Sep 13, 2016 | Other Jihadi Actors

In Derna, tensions between the Derna Mujahedeen Shura Council (DMSC) jihadist forces controlling the city, and the LNA continue to escalate. On 8 September, the DMSC clashed with LNA units south-west of Derna (in al-Dahr al-Hamr area) in an attempt to push the LNA siege further outside the city. The attempt failed, leading the death a key DMSC commander known as ‘Wanis Yousef Dawiya Bu Jeldeen’. On 9 September, the LNA air force conducted airstrikes against the hills west of Derna, followed on 11 September with more airstrikes targeting a jihadist position at the city’s western gate. The location, fortified with sand and concrete barriers, is reportedly one of Ansar al-Sharia’s strongholds in the city.

In Tripoli, the tension between pro-GNA militias on one side, and hard-line Islamist and Misratan militias on the other, is still brewing. On 8 September, two vehicles exploded in Tripoli, one near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the other under the coastal highway bridge near the GNA headquarters. The attacks are thought to have been carried out by hard-line Islamist militias linked to the Benghazi Defence Brigades (many of whom were displaced to Tripoli) and affiliated with Grand Mufti Sadeg Al Ghariyani.

In Benghazi, conflict between the LNA and the jihadist remnants in Benghazi is ongoing. Clashes continued throughout the week in the south-western enclaves of Guwarsha and Ganfuda.