ISIS finds support in Libya

(CNN) -- The black flag of ISIS flies over government buildings. Police cars carry the group's insignia. The local football stadium is used for public executions. A town in Syria or Iraq? No. A city on the coast of the Mediterranean, in Libya.

Fighters loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are now in complete control of the city of Derna, population of about 100,000, not far from the Egyptian border and just about 200 miles from the southern shores of the European Union.

The fighters are taking advantage of political chaos to rapidly expand their presence westwards along the coast, Libyan sources tell CNN.

Map showing location of Derna in Libya

 

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The sources say the Derna branch of ISIS counts 800 fighters and operates half a dozen camps on the outskirts of the town, as well as larger facilities in the nearby Green Mountains, where fighters from across North Africa are being trained.

It has been bolstered by the return to Libya from Syria and Iraq of up to 300 Libyan jihadists who were part of ISIS' al Battar Brigade -- deployed at first in Deir Ezzor in Syria and then Mosul in Iraq. These fighters supported the Shura Council for the Youth of Islam in Derna, a pro-ISIS faction.

The council had been competing for superiority with another militant group, the Abu Salem Brigade, some of whose fighters' loyalties lay with al Qaeda, according to Noman Benotman, a former Libyan jihadist now involved in counter-terrorism for the Quilliam Foundation.

Al Qaeda's top envoy in Libya, Abdulbasit Azuz, left Derna after U.S. Special Forces captured Ahmed Abu Khatallah, an alleged ringleader of the Benghazi attacks in June. Azuz is now believed to be in Syria, Benotman told CNN.

Amateur video from the end of October showed a large crowd of militants affiliated with the Shura Council for the Youth of Islam chanting their allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. The new ISIS wing in Derna calls itself the "Barqa" provincial division of the Islamic State, the name given to the eastern region of Libya when Islamic rule replaced the Roman Empire.

The Libyan branch of ISIS now has a tight grip on the city, controlling the courts, all aspects of administration, education, and the local radio. "Derna today looks identical to Raqqa, the ISIS headquarters town in Syria," Benotman told CNN.

"ISIS pose a serious threat in Libya. They are well on the way to creating an Islamic emirate in eastern Libya," Benotman said.

Judges, journalists and army officers have been among dozens targeted for assassination in Derna this year.

Similarities to Syria

Derna has a long history of Islamist radicalism. Marginalized during the Gadhafi era, it contributed more foreign fighters per capita to al Qaeda in Iraq than any other town in the Middle East. It has also provided scores of fighters for ISIS in Syria.

In another disturbing similarity with Syria, the bodies of three anti-ISIS activists were found beheaded in the town last week. The group has beheaded many in Syria, including Western journalists and aid workers.

Two months ago ISIS leader Baghdadi helped orchestrate the take-over of Derna by dispatching one of his senior aides, Abu Nabil al Anbari, an Iraqi ISIS veteran who had spent time with Baghdadi, in a U.S. detention facility in Iraq, according to Benotman.

Helped by Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi, a Saudi preacher who has become Derna's top religious judge, al Anbari's efforts have borne fruit. Last week a new pan-Libyan group calling itself "Mujahideen of Libya" declared allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, claiming it was sub-divided into three provinces: Barqa, Tripoli, and Fezzan (southwest Libya). The ISIS leader responded by calling all supporters in Libya to join what he called the newest administrative region of the Islamic caliphate.

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According to Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Islamic State's new province in Libya "could have some level of viability, at least in the short term" because fighters there are well-positioned to fund themselves through "trafficking, smuggling and other black market activities."

Libyan fighters loyal to ISIS have expanded their presence westwards along the coast, forming chapters in al Bayda, Benghazi (where the Islamist umbrella group Ansar al Shariah already holds sway), Sirte, al-Khums and even Tripoli, Benotman told CNN.

The Derna wing of the Islamic State in Libya is the prime suspect in a suicide bombing last week in Tobruk, the temporary home of Libya's internationally recognized parliament near the Egyptian border. One person was killed and 14 wounded. The group is also suspected of carrying out a car bombing outside Labraq air force base in Al-Bayda, the same day, killing four.

On Sunday the Derna wing claimed it had previously dispatched nine suicide bombers from Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to carry out attacks against Libyan security forces in and around Benghazi. Several of the attacks appear to correspond to previously unclaimed suicide bombings in the area, including a twin-attack on a Libyan special forces camp in Benghazi on July 23 and an October 2 attack on a military checkpoint near Benina airport.

Also on Sunday, an ISIS-linked Twitter account suggested the Tripoli wing was responsible for car bomb attacks last Thursday outside the Egyptian and UAE embassies in the capital, according to the SITE Intelligence group.

In its audio message last week, the Mujahideen of Libya threatened "the secularists and parliamentarians and their pillars from the police, army...."

"We have prepared for you from the most bitter of cups, and the worst of deaths," it said.

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Concerns in Egypt

Islamist-leaning militias from Misrata seized control of Tripoli in the summer, forcing the parliament to relocate. They are suspected of shipping arms to ISIS fighters in the east of Libya. Benotman says the Libyan air force destroyed one of those shipments earlier this month; CNN was not able to independently confirm the arms shipments.

But there are other signs that more secular forces in Libya are beginning to strike back at ISIS supporters. Libyan air force jets bombed their positions in Derna last week. According to Benotman, they struck five Islamic State positions in the area, including command centers and training camps, killing six fighters and injuring 20.

"Most of the local population in Derna are opposed to the takeover by the Islamic State, but, with the complete absence of any central government presence, they are not in a position to do much for now. Local tribes are reluctant to move against them because people have relatives who have joined their ranks," Benotman told CNN.

Egypt, which has strongly backed the anti-Islamist coalition in Tobruk, has grown increasingly concerned about the ISIS presence in eastern Libya. In July gunmen suspected of being part of Ansar Beit al Maqdis, an Egyptian jihadi group, attacked an Egyptian desert border post, killing 21 soldiers. Ansar Beit al Maqdis has also pledged allegiance to ISIS -- raising concerns that it may cooperate with the Islamic State supporters in Libya. Egyptian officials say a significant number of Ansar al Beit's weapons originated in Libya.

Back in August British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that if ISIS "succeeds, we would be facing a terrorist state on the shores of the Mediterranean." He may not have imagined that months later ISIS would have an outpost not far from the shores of southern Europe.

ISIS談到利比亞
由保羅·克魯克香克，尼克·羅伯遜，蒂姆·李斯特和Jomana Karadsheh，CNN
2014年11月18日 - 更新2106 GMT（0506 HKT）
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ISIS發現支持在利比亞
新聞提要
ISIS接管德爾納，利比亞，一個城市10萬地中海沿岸
“今天德爾納看起來與Raqqa，ISIS的總部鎮在敘利亞”一位分析師說
德爾納，在卡扎菲時代被邊緣化，有伊斯蘭激進主義的悠久歷史
（CNN） - ISIS的黑色旗幟飄揚在政府大樓。警車運載小組的徽章。當地的足球場用於公開處決。在敘利亞或伊拉克的小鎮？號在地中海，在利比亞海岸的一個城市。
戰士忠於伊斯蘭國家在伊拉克和敘利亞正處於城市德爾納，人口約10萬，不遠處的埃及邊境，並從歐盟的南部海岸僅有約200英里的完全控制。
戰士正在亂政的優勢，迅速擴大他們的存在向西沿海岸，利比亞的消息來源告訴CNN。
地圖顯示在利比亞德爾納的位置地圖顯示在利比亞德爾納的位置
ISIS和恐怖的力量 狩獵ISIS劊子手'聖戰約翰
消息人士說，ISIS的德爾納分支計數800架戰鬥機和工作半打陣營在小鎮的郊外，以及在附近的綠山，在那裡正​​在接受來自全國各地北非戰士較大的設施。
它已經帶動了返回利比亞，從敘利亞和高達300利比亞伊拉克聖戰者誰是ISIS“基地Battar旅的一部分 - 部署在第一次在他們的Ezzor在敘利亞，然後摩蘇爾的伊拉克。這些戰機所支持的協商會議的伊斯蘭青年德爾納，親ISIS派。
該委員會已經為競爭優勢，與其他激進組織，阿布薩利姆旅，他們中的一些戰士“忠誠打下基地組織，根據諾曼Benotman，前利比亞聖戰現在參與反恐的Quilliam基金會。
基地組織的高級特使在利比亞，Abdulbasit阿祖茲，左德爾納後，美國特種部隊拍攝的艾哈邁德·阿布Khatallah，被指控在6月班加西襲擊的頭目。現在AZUZ被認為是在敘利亞，Benotman告訴CNN。
從十月底業餘錄像顯示，一大群武裝分子隸屬於舒拉理事會伊斯蘭青年高呼效忠ISIS領導人阿布·貝克爾·巴格達迪人的。新的ISIS翼在德爾納自稱是伊斯蘭國家，由於利比亞東部地區時，伊斯蘭統治取代了羅馬帝國的名稱的“Barqa”省級部門。
ISIS的利比亞分公司目前擁有得緊上城，控制了法院，行政，教育的各個方面，和當地的電台。“今天德爾納看起來與Raqqa，ISIS的總部鎮在敘利亞，”Benotman告訴CNN。
“ISIS提出在利比亞的嚴重威脅。他們​​是很好的方式，以創造在利比亞東部一個伊斯蘭酋長國”Benotman說。
法官，記者和軍官已有幾十今年德爾納暗殺對象之一。
相似敘利亞
德爾納有伊斯蘭激進主義的悠久歷史。在卡扎菲時代被邊緣化，它貢獻了更多的人均外國武裝分子和基地組織在伊拉克的比中東其他任何城鎮。它還提供了戰士ISIS在敘利亞的分數。
在另一個令人不安的相似性與敘利亞，三防ISIS積極分子的屍體被發現在鎮上週斬首。該集團已斬殺許多在敘利亞，包括西方記者和救援人員。
兩個月前ISIS領導人巴格達迪幫助，派遣他的高級助手，納比勒·阿布人Anbari，一名伊拉克ISIS老將誰花的時間與巴格達迪在伊拉克的美國拘留設施的一個協調德爾納的接管，根據Benotman。
由阿布由柏拉EL-Azdi，沙特傳教士誰成為德爾納頂級的宗教法官的幫助下，人Anbari的努力已見成效。上週，一個新的泛利比亞自稱“聖戰者利比亞”宣布效忠艾布·伯克爾人巴格達迪，聲稱這是細分為三個省：Barqa，的黎波里和費贊（西南利比亞）。ISIS的領導回應稱在利比亞的所有支持者加入他所謂的伊斯蘭哈里發的最新的行政區域。
聯合國小組詳細介紹ISIS侵犯敘利亞說，他們構成戰爭罪
據亞倫澤林，在華盛頓研究所近東政策高級研究員，伊斯蘭國家的新省在利比亞“可能有生存能力的一些水平，至少在短期內，”因為戰士有良好的定位自己通過資助“販運，走私和其他黑市活動。”
利比亞戰士忠於ISIS已經向西沿海岸擴大他們的存在，在貝達，班加西（其中伊斯蘭繖形集團安薩爾伊斯蘭教法已經支配著），蘇爾特，AL-Khums，甚至的黎波里形成的章節，Benotman告訴CNN。
伊斯蘭國家在利比亞的德爾納翼在上週自殺式炸彈在托布魯克，利比亞靠近埃及邊境國際公認的議會臨時家庭的主要嫌疑人。一人被打死，14人受傷。該集團還涉嫌開展境外Labraq空軍基地的汽車爆炸事件中的貝達，在同一天，造成4中。
上週日在德爾納翼聲稱它此前曾派出9自殺式襲擊者來自埃及，利比亞和突尼斯開展反對和周圍班加西的利比亞安全部隊的襲擊。幾個攻擊似乎對應於先前無人認領的自殺式爆炸襲擊在該地區，其中包括在利比亞特種部隊營在班加西的雙攻7月23日和10月2日襲擊附近貝尼納機場的一個軍事檢查站。
同樣在週日，一個ISIS連接Twitter帳戶建議的黎波里翼負責汽車炸彈襲擊在首都埃及和阿聯酋大使館外上週四，根據現場情報組。
在它的音頻消息，上週，利比亞聖戰者威脅“來自警察，軍隊的世俗主義者和國會議員和他們的支柱......”
“我們已經為您準備了從最苦杯，最差的死亡，”它說。
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在埃及的關注
來自米蘇拉塔的伊斯蘭傾向的民兵在夏季查獲的黎波里的控制權，迫使國會重新定位。他們被懷疑運送武器ISIS戰機在利比亞東部。Benotman說，利比亞空軍本月初被破壞的出貨量中的一個; 美國有線電視新聞網無法獨立證實的武器運輸。
但也有其他跡象表明，更多的世俗勢力在利比亞開始反擊ISIS的支持者。利比亞空軍的飛機轟炸他們在德爾納位置的最後一周。據Benotman，他們打5伊斯蘭國的位置在該地區，其中包括指揮中心和訓練營地，打死6架戰鬥機和20人受傷。
“大多數當地居民在德爾納的反對收購的伊斯蘭國家，但是，在完全沒有任何中央政府的存在，他們不是在一個位置做多的現在，當地部落都不願意動對他們因為人們都誰也加入了他們的行列親戚，“Benotman告訴CNN。
埃及，這有力地支持在托布魯克反伊斯蘭聯盟，已經越來越關注的ISIS存在利比亞東部。在被懷疑是安薩爾拜人Maqdis，一名埃及聖戰組的一部分七月槍手，襲擊了埃及沙漠邊境哨所，打死21名士兵。安薩爾拜人Maqdis也宣誓效忠ISIS - 令人擔憂，它可能與利比亞伊斯蘭國家合作的支持者。埃及官員說，一個顯著一些安薩爾·貝特的武器起源於利比亞。
早在8月，英國首相戴維·卡梅倫警告稱，如果ISIS“成功，我們將在地中海沿岸面臨著一個恐怖國家。” 他可能沒有想到，幾個月後ISIS將有一個前哨基地從歐洲南部海岸不遠處。