Libya security forces arrest a dangerous ISIS leader

• Hashim Sheikh
• . September 8, 2021
• . Update: September 8, 2021 6:58 pm
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The Prime Minister of the Libyan Transitional Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel Hamid al-Dabaiba, has confirmed that the security forces have stopped one of the leaders of Daesh (ISIS). “The operation to arrest one of the leaders of ISIS, Embark al-Khazmi, is a great success for our security services and the brave fighters of the joint operational forces.” The Libyan Prime Minister wrote in a post on his Twitter account, noting that the fight against terrorism in the North African country will go on.

After the defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the migration of trained guerrillas to other countries has intensified, with the most significant number of jihadists moving to Libya. The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, managed to free the city of Benghazi and its surroundings from ISIS militants in 2016. At the same time, the armed militias of Misrata claim the liberation of Sirte with Operation Al -Bunyan Al-Marsus. Today, according to the LNA command, terrorist activity in eastern Libya is minimal. Khalifa Haftar’s army units continue daily to free the country’s southern regions from terrorists and try to repress the attempts of mercenaries from neighboring Sudan and Chad to enter Libyan territory.

The presence of terrorists in the western region of Libya has recently led Tunisia to close its borders with the neighboring country, motivating this choice with the COVID-19 pandemic. After about two months of forced closure, yesterday, the southern regions of Tunisia took to the streets to ask the Presidency to strengthen security measures and allow the movement of people between the two countries. The closure of the Ras Jadir crossing is putting a strain on the economy of these regions. However, the Presidency is still evaluating this decision after the negative opinion of the committee for the fight against COVID-19.

Recently, the 166 Brigade of Mohamed al-Hasan of Misurata and the Tariq Bin Zayed of the LNA have begun to collaborate in counter-terrorism, securing the region south of Tripoli and Misurata, in particular Tarhouna and Sweref. Since the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring, at least 10,000 Tunisians belonging to the self-styled Islamic State have traveled outside the country, most of them seem to have taken refuge in Libya, in the area of ​​Zawiya and Sabratha, still under the control of the Islamist militias supported by Turkey and Qatar.