Islamic State (ISIS) ("Daesh") in Libya

Amid the Syrian civil war, members of the so-called "Battar Brigade" who returned to Derna, Libya, established local military blocs in the provinces of Fezzan, Cyrenaica, and the historic Tripolitania on November 13, 2014, under the orders of the then-emir of the Islamic State ("Daesh"), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. These units were later merged into the "Libyan Islamic Council" during the second half of November 2014, following a visit from a "delegation" of the Islamic State ("Daesh"). Subsequently, al-Baghdadi announced the creation of three local units of Barqa, Tarabulus (Tripoli) [1], and Fezzan within the country.

When the Islamic State ("Daesh") began losing ground in Syria and Iraq, the financial resources of its affiliated Libyan units became increasingly dependent on black market activities, various forms of smuggling, and the forced collection of taxes from the local population.

During counterterrorism operations conducted in 2015 and 2020, the group lost two of its local leaders - Abu Nabil in 2015 and Abdul Qader al-Najdi in 2020. As of 2023, the Libyan unit had not announced a new leader. As of October 2022, the Islamic State ("Daesh") in Libya comprised approximately 50 fighters, most of whom hailed from north and Sub-Saharan African countries, including Tunisia and Sudan.

[1] After weakening its positions, the Tarabulus (Tripoli) unit, entrenched in Sirte, relocated to the desert area in the northeastern part of Libya.