On Thursday, a special unit of Libya’s Counter-Terrorism Force captured an Iraqi national in the center of Gharyan city, south of Tripoli on suspicion of belonging to the IS terrorist organisation.
In a statement, the force said that the arrest “came as a result of intelligence, within the framework of state efforts to combat terrorism, and to track down elements suspected of belonging to terrorist organisations.”
They explained that the arrest took place in one of the residential neighbourhoods in the city, where the suspect resides, without endangering local residents.
IS gained a foothold in Libya amid the chaos that reigned in the country after longtime ruler, Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
A political crisis in the wake of Gaddafi’s overthrow saw the oil-rich country split between rival authorities in the east and west. As well as the disintegration of security apparatuses, creating fertile ground for jihadist groups like IS to take root.
Last week, Tripoli witnessed armed clashes between rival militias, followed by more clashes on Saturday on the outskirts of Misrata. This raised fears about the collapse of the 2020 ceasefire agreement.
The clashes took place a few days after “a rare meeting between senior military leaders from western and eastern Libya to name a single Chief of Staff to unify the military institution.” Several people were killed, including civilians and the clashes resulted in damage to vehicles and homes.
The reason for the fighting was the arrest of a member of the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade, led by Ayoub Abu Rass, by RADA forces.
The UN Advisor to Libya, Stephanie Williams expressed her outrage about the violence that erupted in Tripoli, as civilians, including women and children attending wedding celebrations were killed during the clashes.
She said on Friday that the “indiscriminate use of weapons in a heavily populated, urban area, without safeguarding civilians is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a sanctionable offence.”