6 June – 12 June: Operation “Nation Storm” detains four ISIS suspects near Bani Walid

Jun 12, 2018 | Libyan actors

On 9 June, four suspected ISIS fighters were detained as part of the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) operation “Nation Storm” in the al-Saddadah area near Bani Walid following local reports of 10-armed vehicles moving in the area.

On 9 May, the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Operations Commander stated that they intended the Derna siege to end by mid al-Fitr, which is expected to fall on 15 June. Throughout the last week the LNA made significant advances in the city and is reportedly set to retake the city in the coming days and officially announce its “liberation” from jihadist control. Important jihadist leaders have either been killed or fled according to jihadist social media outlets. The LNA says 240 militants from various nationalities have been arrested and is already asking residents displaced from Derna as a result of the fighting to come back to their homes. The relatively successful advance so far in Derna has eased pressure from the LNA allowing it to mobilise units to others fronts including the Oil Crescent, Bayda, and Benghazi.