The Islamic State (IS) reappeared in Libya almost a year after it was ousted from its stronghold of Sirte on the Mediterranean coast. In a video clip released Aug. 28 by IS’ Amaq news agency, two fighters appeared at an ad hoc checkpoint on the highway heading south of Sirte toward Jufra. In the same video, Sagayar Majri, a lawyer and former vice chairman of Libya’s High National Election Commission, who was kidnapped May 25, briefly appeared appealing for help.
On Aug. 23, IS claimed to have attacked a military checkpoint run by the Libyan Armed Forces (LAF), headed by Gen. Khalifa Hifter, killing nine soldiers.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to Al-Monitor, it is not the first time IS fighters appear in the area around Sirte after they lost the city. Abobaker Agnon, the owner of a radio station in Tripoli, visited the area in December after IS was ejected from Sirte. He was almost killed at a random checkpoint setup by IS, but he survived thanks to his speedy exit in the area familiar to him. “A friend told me the checkpoint ahead of me is manned by IS, so I had to drive very fast,” he said. Locals also reported seeing IS fighters in the desert region south and southwest of Sirte.
While IS was ejected from Sirte last year, the organization is still active in the region around the city and the neighborhoods where large swathes of desert are not under government control.
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