On Sunday, the Spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari, said that LNA forces arrested Islamic State (IS) commander, Mohammed Mailoud Mohammed, also known as Abu Omar in Ubari, South Libya.
In a statement, the Spokesperson said that the arrest of Abu Omar, who is one of the most prominent leaders of IS in Sirte, is considered a major win for the LNA in its war against terrorism.
He added that the arrested IS commander previously waged many terrorist operations, most notably the attack on the Oil Crescent. During this operation he was shot in the abdomen and was taken for treatment at Al-Jufra, after which he returned to the city of Sirte.
Al-Mismari stated that Abu Omar had a strong relationship with Abu Moaz al-Iraqi, the IS leader in Libya, who was killed in the city of Sebha in a military operation carried out by the LNA forces in September last year.
He added that the militant returned to Ubari after the defeat of the IS in Sirte. He formed a terrorist cell in the city of Ubari and waged many terrorist operations, including the kidnapping of four Italian engineers in 2016, when he demanded a ransom of four million euros in exchange for their release.
IS has made incursions into Africa, most specifically through the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), a splinter of Boko Haram.