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Libya
Libyan oil pipeline sabotaged, gunmen storm Sirte offices
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Libya
Islamic State fighters reportedly took over two radio stations in Sirte; the group has also published photos of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians kidnapped in December and January in Sirte. The UN restarted negotiations between the country’s warring parties.
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Libya
Libya reopened the Hariga oil port after the end of a strike by security forces. Libyan Special Forces recaptured a key military base in Benghazi from Islamist militias. Islamic State-allied jihadists staged a parade in Noufliya, which is “some 60km from the eastern oil port of Sidra.” Libya is on track to exhaust its wheat reserves in two to three months.
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Libya
Pro-government forces launched a new offensive to take Benghazi from Islamist militias; more than 40 people have been killed and dozens injured. The country’s warring parties will resume UN-sponsored peace talks on Feb. 10. A strike by security personnel has closed Libya’s last onshore oil export terminal.
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Libya
Gunmen stormed the al-Mabrook oilfield south of Sirte, killing 12 people, including at least three foreigners; jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State are suspected. The UAE sent a second plane load of supplies to aid civilians in Libya. The Libyan Army lost 11 soldiers killed and 25 wounded battling Islamist forces near derma; the jihadists are said to have suffered “heavy losses.” Libya Dawn attacked pro-government forces near the oil port of Sidra, killing five soldiers and wounding 13.
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Ansar al Sharia photos focus on governance efforts near Benghazi
Ansar al Sharia Libya released a set of propaganda photos in late January that are intended to demonstrate the group’s authority over areas in and around Benghazi. The photos purportedly show a police station and a convoy of security vehicles under the group’s control. However, forces loyal to General Haftar also claim to control much of the city.
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Libya
The Libyan representative to OPEC was released after his kidnapping on Jan. 15 in Tripoli. The internationally recognized prime minister visited the battleground of Benghazi to show support for pro-government troops fighting there. The UN has still not found an appropriate site for planned peace talks within Libya.
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Libya
At least 10 people, including a former US Marine, were killed when gunmen went on a shooting rampage in the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli on Jan. 27. The Libyan Buraq Airlines has suspended all flights for two days after one of its air crews was killed in the attack. Libya’s Health Minister said medical supplies are running out in eastern Libya. The UN is planning to hold future peace talks within Libya, after agreement “in principle” from the warring parties.
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Islamic State’s ‘province’ claims responsibility for attack on hotel in Tripoli
Gunmen assaulted the Corinthia hotel in Tripoli early this morning. According to some accounts, a car bomb was detonated outside of the hotel during the attack.
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Jihadists tweet photo allegedly showing deceased Ansar al Sharia leader
Jihadists have posted a photo on Twitter that allegedly shows Mohamed al Zahawi, the leader of Ansar al Sharia in Benghazi, after his death. Earlier, Zahawi’s family had told the press that he passed away from wounds he received during fighting last year.
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Libya
The rival Islamist parliament based in Tripoli has suspended participation in UN peace talks, claiming new offensives by forces aligned with the internationally recognized government. Both sides claimed that the other initiated hostilities near the key oil port of Es Sider. The US State Department warned “U.S. citizens against all travel to Libya and recommends that U.S. citizens currently in Libya depart immediately.”
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Libya
The internationally-recognized government reaffirmed its support of former Khaddafi General Khalifa Haftar, who was officially reinstated to the army recently. Libya’s representative to OPEC has gone missing in Tripoli as of Jan. 15. Over 7000 stranded Pakistanis were airlifted home from Libya and 51 Egyptian fishermen arrived in Rashid Port on Jan. 19 after fleeing Libyan violence. France condemned the attack on the Algerian embassy in Tripoli.
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Libya
The Libyan army and an alliance of militias around Tripoli have declared a partial ceasefire. The rival Islamist parliament agreed to partake in UN-sponsored negotiations if the talks are held inside Libya. The UN hailed upcoming talks in Geneva while threatening sanctions against warring parties. A bomb thrown at the Algerian embassy in Tripoli from a passing car injured three people. The European Union is angling to end a mission to monitor Libya’s borders. Three months of battles between pro-government forces and Islamist militias in Benghazi have killed 600, according to medical officials.
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European Union
Stockpiles of firearms found in European anti-terror raids
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Libya
A Libyan Army jet attacked a fishing trawler suspected of carrying gasoline to Islamist militias near Benghazi. The UN began peace negotiations in Geneva on Jan. 14; the Islamist Libya Dawn said that it will ignore any outcome from the meeting, which it is boycotting.
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Libya
Jihadists allied with the Islamic State claimed they are holding 21 Egyptian Christians captured near Tripoli. Islamist factions have postponed an announcement of whether they will attend UN-sponsored peace talks until Jan. 18. A suicide bombing at a checkpoint near Benghazi killed three Libyan soldiers and wounded two others. Internationally-recognized Prime Minister Abdullah al Thani called for international support of his government and warned of Libya becoming a sanctuary for terrorist groups.
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Libya
Libya’a rival factions have agreed to attend UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva. The Italian prime minister has stated that his country would be open to a peacekeeping role in Libya. Five pro-government soldiers and eight Mujahideen Shura Council fighters were killed in battles near the port city of Derna.
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Islamic State
Libya’s ISIS branch claims execution of 2 Tunisian journalists
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Algeria
Libya conflict threatens entire Maghreb
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Libya
The Libyan National Army has acquired four Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27 “Flanker” fighters; the source of the jets is unclear. Turkey has urged all of its citizens in Libya to exit the country after ending commercial flights. The US condemned an army air strike on a Greek oil tanker off Derna that killed two crew members.
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Iraq
World losing capacity to prevent conflict: UN refugee chief
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Libya
Turkish Airlines became the last international carrier to halt flights into Libya, ending its service to Misrata Airport. Thirteen Coptic Christians were freed after having been kidnapped on Jan. 3. Libya’s internationally recognized government banned Palestinians, Syrians, and Sudanese citizens from entering the country due to security fears; the government claimed responsibility and apologized for yesterday’s bombing of a Greek oil tanker off Derna. The government also asked the international community for arms at an emergency session of the Arab League.
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Libya
Unidentified aircraft bombed a Greek oil tanker docked in the port of Islamist-held Derna, killing two crew members. The UN has delayed peace talks aimed at reconciling the warring parallel governments. Pro-government forces launched new airstrikes on Misrata and separately attacked Islamists who have been attempting to seize the Es Sider oil port. Islamic State-affiliated jihadists killed 14 Libyan soldiers “on a road north of Sabha, the main city in the south.” Reports have emerged that at least 19 Christians have been abducted in Libya, presumably by Islamic militants. France stated it will strike militants leaving Libya for Africa’s Sahel…
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Christians
Libya violence: Militants kidnap Coptic Christians in Sirte
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Analysis: Osama bin Laden’s documents pertaining to Abu Anas al Libi should be released
A top al Qaeda operative known as Abu Anas al Libi has died in US custody while awaiting trial. Several documents recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound discuss al Libi after he was released from Iranian custody in 2010. These files should be released to the public.
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France
France wants action on Libya, stops short of African calls for intervention
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Ansar al Sharia Libya showcases spoils of war, key personalities in video
A newly released Ansar al Sharia video features Wissam Ben Hamid, a key figure in the security failures surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi. The video also shows Mohammed al Darsi, who appears to be the same jihadist released in exchange for a Jordanian ambassador earlier this year.
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Libya
At least 19 soldiers were killed in a Libya Dawn attack on pro-government forces near a power plant in Sirte. The Islamist group also attempted to seize some of Libya’s main oil terminals in al Sidra, firing rockets from speedboats, killing at least 22 soldiers, and setting an oil tank on fire before being driven back.
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Africa
African leaders demand action in Libya
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Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Islamic State looks to usurp AQIM
