Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dr Marcin Styszynski
Photos
showing
control
of
main
Sirte
roads
and
checkpoints
by
fighters
affiliated
to
the
Islamic
State.
The
tragic
terrorist
attack
on
Bardo
National
Museum
in
Tunis,
on
18
march
2015,
finally
defined
the
Islamic
State
(IS)
influences
in
North
Africa
and
strengthened
the
position
of
its
leader,
Abu
Bakr
al-Baghdadi,
in
the
region.
The
organization
claimed
responsibility
for
the
attack
in
Tunis
and
threatened
to
commit
further
acts.
In
May
2015,
Italian
police
arrested
Moroccan
citizen
Touil
Abdelmajid
who
reached
Italy
on
a
migrant
boat.
He
brought
weapons
for
the
Bardo
Museum
attackers
from
Libya
to
Tunisia
before
the
date
of
the
attack1.
The
example
demonstrates
that
IS
supporters
established
their
core
bases
in
Libya.
The
country
is
affected
by
ongoing
political
unrest
and
domination
of
tribal
militias
and
smuggling
gangs
or
gunrunners,
as
well
as
crisis
between
secular
forces
in
Tobruk
and
Islamist
coalition
from
Tripoli
called
the
Libyan
Dawn.
1
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2015/05/21/Tunisia-says-Moroccan-held-in-Italy-
supplied-weapons-for-museum-attackers.html
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juillet
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SIRET
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However,
the
Islamic
State
domination
in
North
Africa
is
also
a
result
of
additional
reasons
and
external
Islamist
influences
that
impact
operational,
financial
and
military
capacities
as
well
as
transregional
activities
of
local
insurgents.
It
should
be
pointed
out
that
jihadists
in
North
Africa
suffered
and
weakened
after
successful
antiterrorist
actions
headed
by
neighboring
countries
like
Algeria
and
France.
It
concerns
French
military
intervention
in
Mali
in
2013
that
neutralized
rebel
camps
in
northern
Mali
and
successful
antiterrorist
operations
in
Chaambi
mountains,
between
Algerian
and
Tunisian
borders,
infiltrated
by
main
jihadist
groups
like
Uqba
Ibn
Nafi,
Mourabitoun
or
Al-Qaeda
in
the
Islamic
Maghreb
(AQIM).
Besides,
in
October
2013,
American
forces
captured
Abu
Anas
al-Libi,
an
Al-Qaeda
operative
in
Libya
and
one
of
the
most
wanted
terrorists
who
was
involved
in
the
1998
United
States
embassy
bombings
in
Dar
es-Salaam
and
Nairobi.
Al-Libi
died
on
2
January
2015
at
an
hospital
in
United
States
custody
as
a
result
of
liver
cancer1.
Furthermore,
the
main
jihadist
group
Ansar
al-Sharia
in
Libya
has
confirmed
recently
that
its
leader
Mohammad
al-Zahawi
has
died
because
of
a
battle
with
Libyan
government
troops
in
the
eastern
city
of
Benghazi,
in
October
20142.
The
pessimistic
situation
forced
many
jihadists
to
search
new
support,
approaches
and
objectives.
Al-Baghdadi
responded
to
insurgents
hopes
and
offered
new
concept
of
jihad
and
establishment
of
the
historic
caliphate
as
well
as
military,
logistic
and
financial
assistance.
Moreover,
the
Islamic
State
took
advantages
of
the
decreasing
role
of
Al-Qaeda
and
its
leader
Ayman
al-Zawahiri,
who
could
not
achieve
the
same
position
like
Osama
bin
Laden.
The
spokesman
of
the
Islamic
State,
Abu
Mohammad
al-Adnani,
issued
the
manifesto
Ma
kana
hada
manhajuna
wa
lan
yakuna
(It
was
not
our
way
and
it
wont
be),
which
criticizes
Al-Qaida
Central
and
defines
final
separation
between
old
jihadists
and
young
generation
of
Islamists.
Furthermore,
external
influences
in
North
Africa
are
evident
in
the
context
of
foreign
militants
like
Abu
Nabil
al-Anbari.
He
is
an
Iraqi
national
that
served
as
governor
of
Salahudeen
province
in
Iraq.
Al-Anbari
was
sent
from
Iraq
to
the
new
frontline
because
of
his
brutality
and
ruthlessness
in
implementation
of
Al-Baghdadis
orders.
The
Libyan
caliphate
is
also
supported
by
Abu
Habeeb
al-Jazrawi,
a
Saudi
citizen
who
pledged
allegiance
to
Abu
Bakr
Al-Baghdadi,
accepting
him
as
the
Caliph
and
new
leader
over
Libya.
Besides,
Abu
Baraa
al-Azdi
is
a
Yemeni
citizen
who
is
the
religious
leader
in
Dernah
city
and
local
governor
after
the
declaration
of
the
loyalty
to
the
Islamic
State3.
Insurgents
affiliated
with
the
Islamic
State
are
operating
in
their
bases
in
mountainous
regions
in
the
south
of
Dernah
city
as
well
as
Sirte
or
Sidi
Frej
district
in
Benghazi.
In
November
2014
jihadists
established
an
Islamic
Council
in
Dernah.
They
marched
through
the
streets
of
the
city
and
declared
that
they
would
act
as
the
security
forces
and
guards
of
Islamic
laws.
Similar
demonstrations
took
place
in
other
cities
dominated
by
Islamist
militias4.
1 http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/01/islamic_state_provin.php?utm_source=feedburner&
utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+
%28Site-Wide%29%29
2
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30971915
3
http://www.trackingterrorism.org/chatter/trac-insight-isis-benghazi
4
http://www.jadaliyya.com
Apart
from
the
last
Bardo
Museum
attacks
in
Tunis,
insurgents
affiliated
to
the
IS
have
already
increased
their
terrorist
activities
in
Libya.
For
instance,
militants
from
Tripoli
claimed
responsibility
for
the
last
attack
against
Corinthia
Hotel
in
Libya
that
killed
at
least
11
people,
including
three
guards
and
five
foreigners.
In
November
2014,
a
car
bomb
exploded
in
front
of
embassies
of
the
United
Arab
Emirates
and
Egypt.
On
17th
January
2015,
jihadists
carried
out
an
attack
against
Algerian
Embassy
in
Tripoli1.
All
assaults
caused
several
casualties
and
various
damages
in
the
Libyan
capital.
The
Islamic
State
also
released
a
video
showing
brutal
beheading
of
Egyptian
Christians
on
a
Libyan
beach2.
Jihadist
groups
have
also
concentrated
recently
in
Sabratah
city
near
Tunisian
borders
in
order
to
carry
out
some
actions
in
neighboring
countries
considered
as
main
regions
of
Western
influences,
secularism
or
infidelity
and
sins.
Dr
Marcin
Styszynski
June
2015
1
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/27/middleeast/libya-corinthia-hotel-attack/
(02.05.2015).
2
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-31481797
(02.05.2015).