Daesh claims responsibility for an attack in Libya for the first time in months
The Daesh terrorist organization is re-emerging in Libya, taking advantage of the chaos resulting from the open civil war between the Government of National Unity (GNA), led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, and the National Liberation Army (LNA), commanded by Marshal Khalifa Haftar. On Monday, the jihadist group claimed responsibility for an attack on the LNA's 628th battalion at the entrance to the city of Taraghin, east of the city of Murzuq in southwest Libya, according to Daesh Amaq news agency. The attack, which was "insignificant" because it was carried out by "a few individuals", did not result in any deaths, according to a military source consulted by Al-Marsad.
This came on the same day that Haftar's army announced the capture of "one of the most dangerous members of the Daesh terrorist organization". "The LNA militias led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar have arrested Muhammad al-Ruwaidani, known as Abu Bakr al-Ruwaidani, in Tripoli, who had been transferred to Libya under the auspices of Turkish intelligence," the 'People's Front to Support the Libyan Army against Turkish Colonialism' said on Facebook on Monday. "This is another proof of the relationship between Erdogan, the organization Daesh Takfiri and the extremist organizations in general," the organization said on the social network.
This new attack, the first by the terrorist organization on Libyan soil in several months, shows how the group is once again gaining strength and territory. Their objective is clear: to destabilise the Haftar Army, as Daesh is supported by Sarraj's NAG and its partners, such as Turkey, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood. Indeed, it should be recalled at this point that Syrian mercenaries financed by the Eurasian nation released prisoners of the Jihadist group from Sorman prison - located in the northwest near Tripoli - last April. In addition, and according to Libyan security sources, the Turkish air force offered the necessary support to carry out this operation. This movement was not isolated; days earlier, the militiamen "rescued" another group of jihadists who were imprisoned in another prison. The justification offered by the NAG at the time was that this was necessary to safeguard the safety of the detainees in the face of the health alert generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
In any case, that there was a release of terrorists a month ago and now the group's actions against the faction they consider to be their rival, the LNA, are intensifying is no coincidence.
Haftar's army has already reacted to the attack through its spokesman. Al-Mismari, in an interview with Al Arabiya-Al-Hadath, said they are "used to Daesh carrying out retaliatory attacks after every successful operation by the armed forces against the organization". "This operation came in response to their losses in West Tripoli and the arrest of Abu Bakr al-Ruwaidani," the general said. "Daesh always tries and seeks to prove his existence and revenge, as he always tries to reassert his control and make it clear that he has room to move in the southwest region" of the country, the LNA spokesman said.
On Tuesday, Haftar's forces also succeeded in stopping another attack by Daesh in the same city of Taraghin. According to the local Al-Wasl media, " explosive traps were found at the door of the Military Police of the Tenth Brigade, which were dismantled without damage". A military source from the LNA has warned, in this line, that "Daesh's activity is increasing in southern Libya after the arrest of one of his leaders", so it is foreseeable that there will be new attacks against Haftar's troops in the coming days.
The last attack attributed to the terrorist organization on Libyan soil before this weekend took place in June 2019, when the group launched an attack in the eastern city of Derna, injuring 18 people. It was also the first to be claimed by the jihadist group there since 2016. During the past year, Daesh also carried out attacks on the city of Sabha, causing nine deaths, and on an oil field in the south of the country, with three casualties.
Eight months ago, analyst Sudarsan Raghavan warned The Washington Post that the civil war in the North African country was creating "the opening" for Daesh's return "as anti-terrorist efforts falter". At the time, the U.S. Army put the number of jihadists affiliated with the group in Libya at around 100.