On Monday, the Spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari announced the killing of an ‘emir’ of the Islamic State (IS) in southern Libya.
He said that the IS leader was killed during an ambush operation, by LNA forces in the Abd Al-Kafi neighbourhood of Sebha, on 14 September. Al-Mismari had previously announced that the man was believed to be the leader of IS in Libya, known as Abu Abdullah Al-Libi.
After the investigation was completed, and another IS operative was arrested in the Ghadwa area, Al-Mismari confirmed the killed assailant was Abu Moaz Al-Iraqi, also known as Abu Abdullah Al-Iraqi. He is thought to be the leader of IS in North Africa, the LNA spokesman said. Al-Mismari pointed out that Al-Iraqi entered Libya on 12 September 2014, alongside Abdulaziz AlAnbari, with forged Libyan passports through Turkey.
At the time, Al-Anbari was an emir of IS in Libya. Abu Abdullah was assigned as an assistant to him by ISIS leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. Al-Iraqi became the leader of the terrorist organisation, after the LNA killed Al-Anbari in the eastern city of Derna in 2015. The investigation revealed his identity as Abdullah Al-Rabai, an Iraqi Kurd. Al-Mismari explained that the Emir of IS in Libya, was killed in a 7-hour battle with LNA forces.