Libya | Islamic State claims responsibility for Sabha attack

Defence Redefined

07/06/2021

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the southern Libyan city of Sabha on Sunday that killed two police officers and injured another five. The responsibility was claimed via the posting of the “news” agency Nasir serving the propaganda of the jihadist organization on the social networking site Telegram.

According to the Islamic State, a member of the organization, Mohamed El Muhajir, carried out the attack with a car full of explosives.

The capital of the southern Libyan province of Fezan, Sabha is controlled by the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) of General Khalifa Haftar, the powerful man of eastern Libya. It has been repeatedly turned into a theater of jihadist attacks in recent years.

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Libya plunged into chaos after the uprising that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. The major political crisis – with rival governments in the east and west parts of the country – along with the dismantling of security mechanisms, favored the arrival of jihadist organizations such as the Islamic State (IS) in this country of north Africa.

After losing its strongholds around the cities of Sirte (north and center) and Derna (east) in 2018, the IS weakened and its members withdrew to the desert or mingled with the population on the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean.

The attack took place while a UN-backed political process leading to the formation of a transitional government in March is underway. This process aims to reunify the country, preparing for both parliamentary and presidential elections in December, a process deemed crucial.

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Source: ANA MPA