Islamic State fighters able to flee from some parts of Benghazi Libya

The residents of Benghazi were surprised at the sudden escape of Islamic State and perhaps other militants from the districts of Ganfouda and Al-Sadbri in the city which they had occupied.

Residents had been assured by authorities from Field Marshall Haftar's Libyan National Army and Dignity Operation that the security situation in Benghazi was fully under control. However, his forces have often suffered from attacks. After more than two years of confllict Haftar has insisted that his enemies, the Islamic State and the Benghazi Shura Council are besieged and their complete defeat is imminent. However, the Libya Observer says: "But the escape of an ISIS convoy from Benghazi at the dawn of Thursday has raised several questions on how did they manage to leave the city into the desert without being thwarted despite the presence of several Dignity Operation checkpoints on the way."

The Observer claims that some Dignity Operation media outlets are accusing the Saiga Forces Captain Mahmoud Al-Wirfally, who commands the western front line in Benghazi of coordinating their escape from the two areas. Saiqa has denied the allegation and has called for an investigation into the escape. General Mohammed Al-Manfood Commander of Air Operations said the escape of the IS convoy was a surprise to him saying: “Don’t ask me how did this convoy manage to escape from this siege? There must be strict procedures to identify the facilitators” He said the two areas were under tight siege and anyone trying to escape would be noticed. Colonel Salah Huwaydi confirmed the escape had taken place and that investigations were ongoing. Those who claim there is often coordination between Haftar and IS units see this as another instance where there has been cooperation. In 2015, Islamic militants were able to retreat from Derna and travel 400 kilometers east to Sirte allegedly without interception at Dignity Operation checkpoints although there are varying accounts of what happened.

News reports from Libya are often slanted or represent even false news designed to bolster the case for Haftar, the GNA, or other parties. The anti-Haftar Libya Observer reports that Mohammed Al-Ghasri spokesperson for the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsoos group who drove the IS from Sirte claims information showing coordination between Haftar and the terrorist forces allowing them to escape. Al-Ghasri said: “The Dignity Operation’s spokesman, Ahmed Al-Mismari has spoken with pride when he said that IS terrorists left Benghazi for Bani Walid and his statements are actually not so manly, as his words echo the fact that he was happy to send criminal forces, who explode themselves to kill Libyans, to Bani Walid city.” Al Ghasri said that his group would never allow IS terrorists to obtain a foothold in Bani Walid. Al Ghasri concluded: "Allowing IS militants to pull out from Benghazi is an attempt by Haftar to save his face on the military level as his forces couldn’t bring the battle to an end in a small area like Ganfouda after two years of fighting. Haftar wants to declare an illusionary victory on Benghazi.”

Security forces associated with Haftar were reported fighting terrorists that appear to be some of those who broke out yesterday, east of the town of Ajdabiya. The Libya Herald reports that 21 police and soldiers were killed during the breakout. The breakout is said to have happened during a power blackout that appeared to have been deliberately caused. A GECOL control room engineer was arrested.

Libyan National Army spokesperson, Ahmed Mismari, said that the main terrorist breakout was made by a column of vehicles that traveled south. In the running battle that followed in which aircraft and ground forces were involved all the terrorist trucks were destroyed the last of them just south of Ajdabiya. However, reports since then indicate two soldiers being killed and four wounded in the town of Saunnu east of Ajdabiya. There are conflicting details about two other breakouts. What exactly happened may be difficult to determine but certainly there was some significant breakout from the two areas by the remaining Islamic State fighters and perhaps some other radicals as well.

Newly freed from the Islamic State, Sirte has new mayor

Now the the Islamic State(IS) or ISIS have been defeated in Sirte, the city is attempting to return to normal with the election by city councilors of mayor Mukhtar Al-Madani

Six of seven Sirte councilors voted in Al-Madani at a meeting in Tripoli. The meeting was called by the Committee for Municipal Council Elections (CCMCE) and was supervised by the chair Otman Gajiji. Sirte's municipal councilors were originally elected in May of 2014.

The last time an election for mayor was to be held was two years ago on the third of December. CCMCE officials on their way to Sirte to hold the election were intercepted and seized by gunmen who did not want the election to go ahead. Madani is close to Abdullah al-Thinni head of the House of Representatives (HoR) government and a rival to the UN-brokered Government of National Accord. Al-Thinni had appointed Madani acting mayor of Sirte early this summer. This appointment was not accepted by other councilors, the Al Bunyan Al Marsous mostly Misratan forces who liberated Sirte, or by the UN-brokered Government of National Accord. Now in a rare display of agreement Madani has been accepted by opposing sides.

Peter Millet, the U.K. ambassador for Libya said that Madani could request international help in rebuilding the town. The Misrata 166 Brigade has been given the task of looking after Sirte's security by the Bunyan Marsous Operations Room. Mayor Madani said that the municipal members are in constant contact with the Operations Room in order to set a date as to when they can move from Tripoli back to Sirte. Madani said: “The municipality will be busy providing services for the residents of Sirte and will avoid being involved in the political conflict that is going on in Libya.” Baddad Gansu, Minister of Local Governing of the GNA was dismayed by the invitation of the eastern government ministry of the HoR which urged the councilors to elect a mayor in the eastern region under the supervision of HoR authorities. Gansu said: “The eastern local governing ministry is trying to twist facts and advocate for division by such attempts.”

Another sign of normalization in Sirte was the opening of the first bank since the IS were driven out.

Sirte is being given $7.6 million by the Stabilization Fund for Libya(SFL) to rebuild its Ibn Sina hospital, badly damaged in August fighting with the IS forces. The money is also supposed to fund the reconstruction of four health centres, mobile clinics, ambulances and generators for the hospitals and two schools. The SFL is run under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme by a committee including representatives of the Government of National Accord and the international community.

The Sirte offensive that began in May took a heavy toll with 715 having been killed according to, Akram Qaliwan, a spokesperson for the Misrata General Hospital. He said that more than 3,250 fighters had been wounded.

Sirte offensive clears Libyan city of Islamic State fighters

(December 5) Several reports indicate that the Islamic State(IS) has been completely driven from their former stronghold of Sirte. The other day the group controlled only two blocks and about 50 buildings in the city.

The Guardian reports Rida Issa, spokesperson for the Misrata brigades, part of the BAM (Al Bunyan Al-Marsous) forces, as claiming that they had taken the last IS held buildings in the city. The Daily Star reports Issa as saying: "Our forces have total control of Sirte. Our forces saw Daesh (ISIS) totally collapse."

The announcement may be a bit premature. A tweet claims: "Spox of Media Ops of forces fighting IS n Sirte-Ahmed Hadia-denies to BBC that city completely fallen, tells me military ops ongoing #Libya". This is obviously a different spokesperson. Perhaps there are still mopping up operations going on. Another tweet reports a casualty: "One killed in sirt today from albunyanAli bin rajab. Wounded twice b4"

Another article claims that the BAM forces were close to securing the area where the IS had been holding out but that there were reports of continuing skirmishes. In 2015 the IS had taken control of Sirte and an area extending about 150 miles along the Mediterranean coastline. The BAM forces began an offensive to retake Sirte back in May. Since August 1st they have been aided by U.S. airstrikes, about 470 in all. There are also a small number of U.S. special forces helping out.

The article also notes BAM spokesperson Rida Issa as saying that BAM forces had taken control of all of the Ghiza Bahriya neighborhood where the IS forces had been holding out. However, it also said the statement could not be immediately verified and that there was no official announcement that Sirte had been taken. One field commander claimed there was still some fighting in Ghiza Bahriya.

Earlier 34 IS fighters had surrendered to Libyan forces including two senior commanders according to officials. Mohamed Lajnef a staff member of a local field hospital said six women and 2 children had also surrendered. He claimed the three BAM fighters had been killed and 17 wounded. Earlier, several women had carried out suicide attacks as they were granted safe passage.

While the defeat of the IS in Sirte will leave it without any permanent control of territory it is no doubt still present as sleeper cells in many areas of the country ready to engage in terror attacks. The fighting has taken a heavy toll on BAM forces mostly from Misrata brigades. More than 700 have been killed and over 3,200 wounded. Many of the brigades are anti-Haftar and may perhaps turn their attention to battle with his forces if necessary. There have been recent clashes in Tripoli as well and some of the brigade members may join to help out Islamist groups in conflict with other militia in Tripoli if clashes resume.

Islamic State in Libya controls only about two blocks and 50 buildings in Sirte

(December 2) The Pentagon claims that the Islamic State now only controls about two blocks and 50 buildings in the city of Sirte whereas they had once ruled the entire city and a considerable area in all directions surrounding it.

Captain Jeff Davis, Pentagon spokesperson said the remaining militants are persistent and fighting to the death. Their resistance is stubborn. He said: "This is ISIL's last stand in Sirte and they are fighting hard." The US began bombing support for the Sirte offensive at the first of August and have carried out 467 missions since then. TheUS Africa Command claims to have carried out three strikes near the city of Sirte on Thursday. The offensive is being led by the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) mainly of brigades from the city of Misrata.

The BAM forces have rescued some civilians including women and children of late. However, a spokesperson for BAM claimed that several women blew themselves up recently killing four BAM soldiers who had granted them safe passage to leave buildings controlled by IS militants. 38 people were wounded. Reuters journalists saw one woman escorting 3 young children through an alley towards BAM forces. Shortly after the children had been driven away in an ambulance, the woman detonated explosives resulting in almost a dozen people being wounded. The IS has even retaken control of a row of buildings that had been destroyed in earlier fighting. The Libyan Gazette also reports on the female bombers.

US Special Envoy to Libya, Jonathan Winer, warned lawmakers at a hearing that many IS fighters who managed to escape fighting in Sirte and Benghazi have "gone underground, forming cells elsewhere in the country". Winer claimed further: "Daesh is continuing to regroup in other areas of Libya, the United States’ special envoy for Libya has warned. “We believe they are waiting for opportunities to engage in further attacks in Libya or its neighbours, and if possible to reassert [Daesh] geographically...The gains against [Daesh] are real. But they also could be reversible, if Libyans do not come together to participate in the Government of National Accord and to help it perform its work for the Libyan people and to unify against the common threat to all.” There is no sign of this happening at present. The offensive against Sirte was begun back in May. It slowed considerably once BAM entered the city of Sirte.

The Department of State's deputy counter-terrorism coordinator, Marie Richards, noted about the offensive: "They have made a great deal of progress, but the fight has been quite severe and the Libyan forces have taken a lot of casualties. We are very confident that in a short period they will be able to eliminate the threat coming out of Sirte." Echoing Winer, Richards said IS fighters would be dispersed throughout Libya and the US would be watching carefully to see where they go,

Islamic State still putting up stiff resistance even though they are bound to lose in Sirte

On Saturday the forces of Al Bunyan Al Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) faced continuing fierce resistance from the few remaining fighters of the Islamic State(IS) holed up within a small area of the city of Sirte, their former stronghold.

The IS continued to cause casualties as well with BAM forces losing at least five men on Saturday. Most of the BAM fighters are from brigades in the city of Misrata. According to a Reuters report there are only a few dozen houses remaining to be captured. The BAM forces have been advancing only slowly in an attempt to limit casualties among their own fighters but also among civilians and captives held by the IS. The IS have used snipers, tunnels, suicide bombers and hidden explosives to slow the advance of the BAM fighters. According to a hospital spokesperson in Misrata, Akram Gliwan, as well as five BAM fighters being killed there were 18 wounded.

The BAM forces claimed they faced two suicide bombers and also a woman from the IS fired at BAM fighters after they tried to provide a safe passage for her. BAM forces used tanks and heavy machine gun fire to destroy buildings held by the IS. BAM was able to capture a number of houses in the Ghiza Bahriya district. The BAM offensive has been aided by U.S. airstrikes since August 1, with at least 420 strikes being carried out so far.

The Libya Observer confirms that five BAM members were killed Saturday but claims more than 30 others were injured. According to military sources the remaining IS fighters are trapped in 54 houses in the area. The sources also said 30 houses had been captured. Last week the BAM forces recovered bodies of 30 IS fighters in the zone.

Another report on the fighting cites medical sources as claiming that at least eight BAM fighters were killed as well as 17 wounded. Sirte was the home town of Moamer Gadaffi the long-time ruler of Libya until he was overthrown. It is about 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Tripoli. The offensive against Sirte began in May. The six months of fighting have left about 700 of the BAM fighters, loyal to the UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA), dead and 3,000 wounded. No one has kept track of the number of IS fighters killed.

Islamic State continues fierce resistance within confines of a small area of Sirte Libya

Even though it is six months since the forces of Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) began the offensive against the Islamic State(IS) in the areas around Sirte and now within Sirte itself, a few remnants continue to hold out in the city.

Most of the fighters are brigades from the city of Misrata. They have been aided by U.S. air strikes since the beginning of August with a pause at the beginning of November. The remaining IS fighters are holed up in just one small section the Marine Giza district. In the last 48 hours fighting appears to have been stepped up with 37 IS fighters said to have been killed some wearing suicide vests. The U.S. African command has resumed bombings and reported that 50 fighting positions had been targeted by 13 air strikes just today. Since the bombing began there have now been a total of 411 air attacks.

A commander of the BAM forces, loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord called through a megaphone for civilians to surrender, especially women and children, offering them safe passage. There has been footage shown of three women in long black dress with hands held high making their way to the BAM front line. The Libya Herald claims that the area held by the IS now consists of only a few dozen properties along the Mediterranean sea coast. Still advancing forces are slowed by booby traps, mines and snipers. On Tuesday, BAM forces claimed that they pushed forward seizing a number of barricaded houses.

A spokesperson for BAM, Rida Issa, said: "The Islamic State gangs are trying desperately to resist up until their last breath." The BAM forces have lost at least three of their fighters since Monday. Several groups of civilians have been able to surrender or been captured during recent weeks. It is not known how many remain. Once Sirte is lost, the IS will hold no territory in Libya although there are no doubt sleeper cells spread throughout the country.

The U.S. AFRICOM Command said in a statement “The U.S. stands with the international community in supporting the Government of National Accord as it strives to restore stability and security to Libya. These actions, and those we have taken previously, will help deny Daesh a safe haven in Libya from which it could attack the United States and our allies." "Daesh" is a term for the Islamic State. More than half of all the bombings were carried out during the month of October. Several hundred BAM troops have been killed in the offensive and a few thousand have been wounded as snipers, booby traps and suicide bombers have taken a heavy toll.

Remaining Islamic State fighters in Sirte continue fierce resistance

Sirte (October 22) While the final battle against the remaining Islamic State(IS) fighters was announced weeks ago there are still a few IS fighters putting up fierce resistance in small overlooking the Mediterranean.

The forces of Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) had divided the few remaining groups of IS fighters into two a few days ago. Now they have completely taken control of neighborhood 600 on Saturday one of the two remaining areas. The area gets its name because it is composed of 600 flats. The IS is now confined to the district of Jiza the final area held by the IS in Sirte.

During their advance a number of foreign nationals were freed. According to the Libya Observer, 1 Turk, 1 Egyptian and 11 enslaved women from Eritrea were rescued. Another source also confirms the release. On Thursday, according to Reuters, 2 Turks were freed, 2 from India, and 1 from Bangladesh. BAM forces are combing through the 600 area to uncover any hidden IEDs or militants still hiding. A tweet confirmed the capture of the 600 area: "#BAM forces announce they completely liberated the 600 Area. If confirmed the only hideout for #ISIS would be the Jizah Marina area #Libya"

In the course of the advance, the US was reported to have carried out three airstrikes against IS forces. Since Operation Odyssey Lightning began on August first the number of airstrikes is approaching 250. The amphibious assault ship Wasp from which the missions were being launched is being replaced by the amphibious transport dock San Antonio. As a result of the change, the fixed-wing AV-8B Harrier jump jets will be replaced by Bell SuperCobra and Venom helicopters.

There were casualites from the most recent advance. According to a twitter: "4 killed from #ALbunyan today in sirt 3 from misrata 1 from sebha." Sebha is in the south. Most of the brigades in the offensive are from the city of Misrata. Another tweet shows unexploded suicide belts from the the bodies of two IS fighters. There should be less than a hundred IS fighters left, I should imagine, so it will not be surprising if a final victory is announced within the next day or two. Sirte was Gadaffi's home town and he was killed while trying to escape from Sirte. The offensive against the IS began in May.

U.S. ups air attacks on the Islamic State in Sirte Libya

Although the final push to defeat the Islamic State (IS) in Sirte began some time ago and their imminent defeat has been announced a number of times, a few IS fighters still remain surrounded in the city in an increasingly smaller area.

In order to soften up IS positions before each advance of the Al Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) forces, the U.S. has targeted snipers and IS positions as part of its Operation Odyssey Lightning that began back on the beginning of August. Just in the last four days, the U.S. has carried out 51 airstrikes. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said that this was some of the heaviest bombing since the operation began. AFRICOM said that in all about 155 targets were hit, mostly enemy fighting positions.

The BAM forces are mostly brigades from the city of Misrata and are loyal to the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). The U.S. airstrikes are in support of the Sirte offensive. There are also some special forces from the U.K. and the U.S. who are helping out on the ground. The attacks are launched from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp. Since the U.S. operation began it has carried out 261 airstrikes. The Stars and Stripes suggests that there are perhaps fewer than 200 IS fighters left in Sirte.

There were gains against IS on Friday when the group was split into two and on the weekend. On Tuesday BAM forces are reported to have begun advancing again. Mohamed Abdulla a pro-government fighter claimed that BAM forces are making progress every day but needed better care for their wounded. BAM forces have faced fierce opposition from snipers, suicide vehicle attacks, and booby traps. The cost to BAM forces has been heavy. Some sources put the tally at 560 BAM fighters killed plus more than 2,750 injured so far.

Spokesperson for BAM, Muhammad Al-Ghusri said on Wednesday: “The remaining IS militants are not positioned in a combat mode, they are rather cornered, lost and perplexed in a very small area in the city. A coordinated work between our air force and ground troops has paid off and all IS militants are waiting for their death at any minute as they lie trapped in a very small area in Sirte – an area that is encircled by our forces. IS radicals have now two options; surrender or die.”Al-Ghusri claimed that all possible exits have been closed off and there is no way the remaining fighters can escape.

Remaining Islamic State fighters in Sirte Libya split into two groups

Forces of Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure of BAM) have managed to completely separate into two groups the few remaining fighters of the Islamic State(IS) who still are holding out in one small section of Sirte.

On Friday, according to Brigadier Mohammed Al-Gosri, spokesperson for BAM, BAM forces had managed to take control of the dividing line between neighborhood 600 and the sea-view Jiza apartment buildings. This has disconnected IS fighters from each other and also cut aid routes to the group. Al Gosri said that the division will make it easier to defeat the few remaining IS fighters in Sirte. He also said that the BAM fighters found tunnels connecting various locations held by IS that were used to move within the city. Al-Gosri said he expected the final battle would take place within hours. Fighting was still going on on Sunday.

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article giving details of how IS governed in Sirte, gleaned from records abandoned when they were overrun by BAM forces. They had a detailed tax code including special arrangements for herders: "A meticulous tax code found at another office showed how Islamic State funded itself at locals’ expense. Farmers were to turn over a calf if their herd reached 39 cows and a four-year-old camel if they owned up to 79 camels." The morality police also brought in revenue: "At the headquarters of the morality police, a dozen boxes filled with confiscated gold jewelry and stacks of money secured with rubber bands were scattered about. They are now in the hands of pro-government militias."

Over the weekend, at least eight BAM fighters were reported killed as they advanced into the 600 block faced with snipers and booby traps. The fighters advanced across two streets on Sunday but faced strong resistance. The offensive against Sirte and surrounding area has lasted five months now but must be almost finished. The IS held Sirte and the surrounding area for over a year now. Three women are shown surrendering here..

According to a report in Sputnik, more than 70 IS fighters were killed on Sunday. Local residents were said to have helped out by pointing out locations where IS fighters were sheltered. An account of action over the weekend can also be found here. If the casualty figures for the IS are correct, there must be well under a hundred IS fighters remaining. Since August the first, the U.S. has mounted over 200 bombing strikes on IS positions as part of Operation Odyssey Lightning. The operation is extended into October. There are also a few special forces from the U.K. and the U.S. providing help to BAM.

Islamic State still holding out in small area of Libyan city of Sirte

In spite of a prolonged offensive started back in May and help from US bombing raids, the Islamic State continues to hold a small area of Sirte Libya, their former stronghold.

Forces from Al Bunyan Al Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) are again making advances into the small area still held by the Islamic State (IS). BAM forces have been supported by US airstrikes since August 1 in an operation called Odyssey Lightning. The operation has been extended through October. There were also airstrikes by GNA planes as well as fire from tanks.

Last Sunday alone the US carried out 20 airstrikes. Pentagon spokesperson, Captain Jeff Davis said: "Every one of the strikes we do is based on a request from them, and we are down now into the last, densest part of the city. As they get to the dense areas, it's very hard to take out these sniper positions with anything other than air strikes." Since it began its operation US warplanes, drones and helicopters have carried out more than 200 strikes. Many of the strikes are launched from the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship just off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranian.

The militants are holding out in an area called Manara. Once this area is cleared, Misrata commanders said that the IS fighters would be defeated. Mohamed Al-Ghasri a spokesperson for BAM said: “This is the end for them. They have no other solutions, so that’s why they are fighting fiercely to stay in Manara.” The IS now controls a strip that is less than a kilometer long. However, weeks ago the final push against the IS was announced. The Sirte offensive so far has killed more than 450 BAM fighters and wounded about 2,500 more.

Somewhat surprisingly, a senior military officer from Misrata was critical of the US airstrikes claiming their aim is to prolong the offensive against the IS in the city. Spokesperson for Misrata Military Council Brigadier Ibrahim Bait Al-Mal said on TV: “The airstrikes were useless and inaccurate and their aim is clear to all, We can go without the US airstrikes from the beginning, but the government wants an endless war with limited airstrikes.” Al-Mal said that the US could through bombing end the battle within 48 hours. While this may be true it would involve horrendous civilian casualties and destruction. The air strikes happen on the order of BAM forces apparently, who do not want a huge number of civilian casulaties. They have themselves decided for pauses in the battle after suffering heavy casualties. Without the airstrikes and the help of a few special forces on the ground from the UK and the US, casualties would probably be much higher and the offensive less advanced. A more common complaint of those on the ground is that the bombings did not come sooner and some have expressed thanks for the support of the bombings and the special forces. Al-Mal provides no evidence that the strikes prolong the offensive. Pointing out that the US could end the offensive sooner does not show that the actual bombing prolonged the offensive.

Offensive against Islamic State in Sirte resumes

The forces of the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) resumed their final push against the few remnants of the Islamic State(IS) in Libya cornered in a small central area of Sirte, their former stronghold.

The offensive against the Islamic State began back on the 12th of May. The offensive advanced very quickly at first until the BAM forces entered the city of Sirte. There the advance was much slower as BAM forces faced fierce resistance and were attacked with many suicide vehicles packed with explosives. There were many snipers and booby-traps everywhere. Since August 1, US airstrikes have aided the ground forces and there are a few special forces present from the UK and the US. Still the IS forces have continued to resist with the end of the battle predicted much earlier. There may be fewer than one hundred IS fighters left in a small area of about a square kilometer. In total, the casualty count is more than 450 BAM fighters, mostly from the city of Misrata brigades, and 2,500 wounded. The Misrata hospital has been overwhelmed and some wounded have been sent out of the country.

In today's clashes,ten IS fighters were reported killed when they tried to escape and others were apparently being chased. However, 8 BAM fighters were also reported killed, as well as 24 wounded, according to the hospital in Misrata.

An Italian journalist was also earlier reported killed but this turned out not to be the case. A Dutch photo-journalist, Jeroen Oerlemans was killed when shot in the chest by a sniper while he was covering today's clashes.

In preparation for the BAM advance, the US had carried out six attacks on IS posiitons on Saturday. Since the first of August US aircraft have carried out 177 airstrikes in support of the BAM forces according to the US Africa Command. The US mission called Odyssey Lightning has been extended for another month. GNA air force planes from Misrata were also said to have conducted raids to prepare for the offensive. One report says that 6 strikes were carried out on Sunday morning before the offensive began.

The Libya Observer reports that IS militants attacked a checkpoint of Brigade 166 in the south of Sirte. The attackers hoped to break the siege of their comrades who were trapped in the city. The attack was made at dawn. However, the attack failed and at least 60 militants were killed. The Oberserver has a photo of bodies of the IS fighters piled up in the box of a pickup. Military sources said: "The ISIS convoy came from the desert, all the attackers were foreigners, they were all killed." No doubt these fighters fled Sirte earlier.

By some estimates there are only about 100 IS fighters left in Sirte, so the battle should be finished soon. A recent tweet citing somewhat different casualty figures has some photos from Sirte: #Libya | Impressive pictures of #Sirte, destroyed, from the social medias. So far 7 killed and at least 57 injured in the clashes of today.

Mattia Toaldo's analysis of the Libya situation

Dr. Mattia Toaldo, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, recently released an extensive analysis of the present situation in Libya giving considerable background to help understand the present situation.

The entire article can be found here and is titled "Between Progress and Fragmentation". The good news about Libya for Toaldo is that the Islamic State is almost wiped out in its last main base in Libya, Sirte. However, he also claims that the other good news is that there is a Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) establishing the Government of National Accord (GNA).

While the defeat of the Islamic State is certainly a positive development, one could argue that the LPA, far from being a positive development, is part of the reason why there is still division in the country. The Libyan Dialogue meetings with representatives from the rival House of Representatives(HoR) government based in Tobruk and the Salvation government of the General National Congress based in Tripoli and other stakeholders considered several draft agreements promoted by former UN envoy Bernardino Leon. The meetings were meant to reach an agreement that would be approved by both parliaments. Leon was in an obvious conflict of interest since that at the same time he was in fact having conversations with officials from the UAE who favored the HoR government. He clearly tried to weaken the GNC and strengthen the HoR. He ended up taking a well-paying job as an academic in the UAE.

The new envoy, Martin Kobler, carried on trying to pass a final draft of the LPA through the two legislatures, but to no avail. What Kobler finally did was to gather together those members of the two parliaments who supported the LPA along with others and gather them together in Skhirat Morocco in December of 2014 to sign the LPA. Those from the two governments who signed were not authorised to do so by either government and neither parliament ever approved of the deal. In other words, the two parliaments were forced to accept a deal that neither had agreed to. Far from being a positive development the Skhirat agreement failed to produce the agreement the original dialogue was meant to forge. It alienated both parliaments.

The GNC resistance was solved by simply using the provisions of the LPA to reduce the GNC to virtual impotence. The LPA contained a provision that called for a State Council that would consist mainly of former members of the GNC. A member of the Presidential Council of the GNA drew up a list of members from those within the GNC who accepted the GNA. Hence, many members of the GNC left to take assured jobs within the State Council leaving the group with many fewer members. The GNA quickly took over ministries formerly run by the Salvation GNC government. The bizarre proceedings by which the State Council was formed are described in this article. State Council met as the GNC amended the constitutional declaration, accepted the LPA and then dissolved itself and then met as the High State Council. While the real GNC did not recognize the meeting, their offices were later seized by militia loyal to the GNA and then occupied by the newly minted High State Council. While the GNC governnemt has been reduced to an impotent shadow of its former self, the State Council remains problematic. It is meant to be a mainly consultative body but because the HoR has refused to vote confidence in the GNA there is not yet a legislature for the government. The State Council has declared itself the GNA's legislative body until such time as the HoR signs on to the GNA. As such it intends to appoint officials to key bodies. This is all happening because of another basic fault of the LPA, that the GNA never had but needs, the approval of the HoR in the form of a vote of confidence.

Those who framed the LPA apparently never realised that the HoR would not sign on to the LPA. The LPA gives a huge advantage to the HoR in that the HoR is the sole legislative body of the GNA. The former GNC government members dominated only the State Council which plays mostly a consultative role. Why did not the HoR members do as did most of the GNC members , jump at the chance of secure jobs? The basic reason is that to bring the GNC on board the UN had inserted two Articles 8 in the LPA one in the main body and another in the additional provisions. These provisions make the Presidential Council(PC) of the GNA, rather than Haftar, commander of the armed forces. It should have been crystal clear that Haftar would never accept this. He has been opposed to the dialogue and the LPA all along for this reason among others. Toaldo notes that this provision is blocking the approval of the agreement. Nevertheless he still sees the LPA as positive as among other things bringing forces together to fight the Islamic State. However, it is noteworthy that it did nothing to bring in Haftar to help defeat IS. He instead decided his time would be better spent seizing control of oil fields and attacking the jihadist Shura Council in Derna who were instrumental in driving out the Islamic State.

The UN has constantly violated the provisions of the LPA because otherwise it could not move forward with establishing the GNA. The most glaring violation was the avoidance of a formal vote on the LPA by the HoR. Instead, the UN went through a number of complicated gyrations designed to prove that really the GNA had been approved as described in this article. The next violation of the GNA will probably involve some way to work around Article 8 and provide Haftar a role to play in the new GNA armed forces. So far it is not clear that Haftar has the slightest interest in GNA proposals often advanced by PM Faiez Serraj.

As Toaldo notes, the country is still divided as it was before the agreement. As Toaldo puts it:Less optimistic is the fact that the country is as divided as ever, with the Tripoli-based GNA having only loose control of parts of the West and South of the country and the east being a de facto separate country under the dictatorship of renegade general Khalifa Heftar. Heftar receives support from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – and increasingly from Russia.This is happening even though supporters of Haftar continue to give lip service to the primacy of the GNA and to UN resolutions on the issue.

Toaldo notes that Haftar started his Operation Dignity in the spring of 2014, with the goal "of wiping Libya clean of everything that smelled of political Islam'". He fails to mention that even earlier in February he tried to stage a coup against the government and that as part of Operation Dignity the parliament buildings were vandalized and burned as shown on the appended video. Included as targets in Operation Dignity are most militia associated with the GNA including the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous mostly brigades from Misrata leading the offensive against the Islamic State in Sirte.

As Toaldo notes, extensive negotiations are under way to agree to some role for Haftar in a unified GNA. It is not clear how such an agreement can be successful without alienating Haftar's many opponents resulting in the breakdown of the GNA. Toaldo argues that Haftar actually benefits from the blockage as he has extended his power by seizing ports of the oil crescent along with land formerly held by the Petroleum Forces Guard that extend to within about 50 kilometers of Sirte. He is increasing his power by replacing civilian authorities in cities by military officials. Haftar continues to sabotage reconciliation attempts by the GNA.

Some see the division of the country, with Cyrenaica in the east coming under control of Haftar while the GNA controls the rest, as a solution to the impasse. Toaldo points out that there would be no consensus as to where the border line should be drawn. He thinks that there would be a contest for the oil crescent region. However, this is already controlled by Haftar. Toaldo could mention that the Zintan militia, loyal to Haftar, control a considerable portion of western Libya. It is not clear how willing parts of the south would be to join the GNA.

Toaldo suggests:A national dialogue initiative could be facilitated by the UN (Special Envoy Martin Kobler is already moving in this sense) and receive the logistical and financial support of the GNA while remaining independent from government control. It should support a country-wide conversation on crucial issues such as, to make a few examples, the fate of political prisoners, the distribution of oil wealth (with the goal of restarting oil production and avoiding the economic collapse of the country) or the social and political inclusion of members of the former regime without blood on their hands. This reconciliation initiative should go hand in hand with concrete moves by the GNA in Tripoli to reach out to the east, promoting decentralisation and addressing the issue of the building of a national army.We have already seen in a recent national dialogue that splits make such a dialogue difficult.

Toaldo is certainly correct that the GNA should move on and address key concerns of Libyans such as the liquidity crisis and power cuts. However, Toaldo says nothing about countering Haftar's aggressive moves to gain more power and over more territory except to reach out to the people of the east and address concerns that led them to support Haftar. It is not clear that Haftar will allow them to do that and he has already enlisted tribal support and placed military personnel in place of local authorities. They are unlikely to show any interest in unifying with the GNA. Haftar may very well be planning to continue with Operation Dignity and eventually with the help of militia allies in the west, liberate, Tripoli, Misrata, and also Sirte from the GNA which he considers dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist gangs.

Toaldo argues that the LPA itself contains the tools for a solution to the problem of stalled and perhaps fruitless negotiations to accommodate Haftar:That agreement contains itself the tools that allow to unlock the process: for instance, article 16 and 17 say that the House of Representatives must become a truly neutral body and not Heftar’s political branch. It should sit in a neutral location and all members should be free to express their vote, unlike what’s happened in the past.

Yet the two articles say nothing about the HoR becoming a neutral body and nothing about Haftar. It does say that a meeting of the HoR should determine a location for it to meet. The deadline for article 17 to be implemented was September 17 2015, over a year ago.These articles surely come into play only in the context of article 13:Article (13) The House of Representatives, elected in June 2014, shall undertake the legislation authority for the transitional period, granting the vote of confidence or no confidence to the Government of National Accord as per the items of this Agreement, adopting the general budget, performing oversight over the executive authority and endorsing the public policy submitted by the Government. In other words, it would seem that before the tools in the two articles can be used there must first be the vote of confidence in the GNA that has yet to happen.

Toaldo himself notes that the LPA and a constitutional amendment by the HoR represent the only way to extend the Tobruk's role as GNA legislature, as the mandate of the HoR expired last October. Yet it is not clear that the HoR is willing to vote such an amendment when it will not accept the GNA. The HoR is not worried about extending its mandate. It regards its own extension of the mandate as legitimate and could care less about what the GNA and its supporters think about that.

If the HoR does not vote through a constitutional amendment Toaldo argues that the US and EU should " stop recognising simultaneously the government in Tripoli and the political branch of its rival in Tobruk." The US and EU have already supported UN resolutions that expressly forbid them to recognize both. In reality, the GNA's own National Oil Company (NOC) recognizes Haftar and the HoR as does the Central Bank by paying salaries for the HoR and the LNA I expect. Not hedging their bets by supporting Haftar and the HoR would leave the way open for the UAE, Egypt, Russia, and others to gain influence in Libya through support of Haftar at the expense of the US and some EU countries.

In my opinion, one of the main priorities of the GNA should be to build up its armed forces and try to gain support from foreign countries for repelling any further advance of Haftar, which could very well include attacks on Tripoli as he has threatened in the past.

Islamic State in Libya still resisting in one last district in Sirte

While there have been many announcements of the final battle to liberate Sirte from the remnants of the Islamic State(IS) there are a few IS fighters still holding out in one small area of the city.

Earlier, it had been predicted that the battle would be over before the Eid celebrations. It was not to be. Now that the holiday is over a renewed push to finish the job appears to be taking place. The forces of Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) are allied with the UN-supported Government of National Accord. The majority of the fighters are with brigades from the city of Misrata. Since August 1st, the BAM forces have been supported by air strikes by the U.S. as part of Operation Odyssey Lightning. The operation was extended for thirty days at the beginning of September. There are also a few special forces from the U.S. and the U.S. is providing logistical and other assistance to the BAM forces.

A Reuters report claims that two were killed in clashes today and six wounded according to a spokesperson from Misrata General Hospital, after the BAM forces shelled areas where the remaining IS fighters are hiding. Mohamed Ghasri a spokesperson for the BAM forces said: "Our forces targeted on Sunday hideouts of Daesh in Neighbourhood No.3's 600 block area and Geza Bahriya with heavy artillery shelling." "Daesh" is an Arabic term for the Islamic State. Ghasri also claimed that two IS commanders, Hassam Karami, and Waldi Ferjani, had been killed during fighting inside Sirte.

A military source told the Libya Prospect, that BAM forces had entered the remaining sections of district 3 in Sirte, calling it the decisive battle against the few IS fighters who remained in the city. The source said that artillery and tanks had begun shelling the area of the 656 residential buildings, Al-Jeeza, Al-Bahrea, 656 houses, and social security district. The source said that the forces had been in a break for the past few days as they prepare a plan.

A report from the Middle East Eye claims that the BAM forces were able to detonate two suicide vehicles before the IS suicide bombers could detonate their vehicles. Reda Issa, a spokesperson for the BAM forces said that field commanders held several meetings before deciding to resume after what was said to be a two-week lull. Issasaid: "Progress is now being achieved and our forces are clashing with Daesh fighters." The BAM forces captured several buildings, including a school that had been made into a car bomb factory, and also a field hospital.

Since the offensive against Sirte began months ago, 450 BAM forces have been killed and about 2,500 wounded. The Misrata hospital, the only one in the region has been overwhelmed as it tries to cope with the casualties. The situation has been one reason the offensive has slowed so there will be less casualties. Fortunately, Italy is setting up a field hospital in Misrata to treat the wounded. There will be about 65 doctors and nurses, 135 logistics staff, and 100 troops to provide security. Work is already underway.

Remmants of Islamic State fighters in Sirte refuse to surrender

Forces of the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) are advancing against the last holdouts of the Islamic State in Sirte. BAM forces are mostly brigades from Misrata and are loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

The "final offensive" has been going on for some with fighting resumed today after a relative calm. The remnants of the Islamic State fighters are now cornered in just one area of Sirte. The offensive began in May and has been helped since the offensive stalled in Sirte by U.S. airstrikes that began on August 1.

Even at this late stage, the few remaining IS fighters refuse to surrender and are resisting with sniper, car bombs, mines and shelling, taking a heavy toll on the BAM forces. The BAM forces claim to have captured several buildings today as well as destroying an IS car bomb before it reached its target. A recent tweet claims: "Breaking News: Misrata-led forces retake Eddekhar Bank, Madina Hotel and Central Bank of Libya branch in Sirte’s residential district 3." A tweet also reports the casualties: "BAM, OTOH, advanced on the western edge of District 3, at the cost of 7 killed and 30 wounded today." Bodies of 10 IS fighters were found in a school building. Another tweet reports higher casualties: "Casualties today in Sirte #Libya: 9 dead (8 Misrata, 1 Zliten) and over 70 injured on Bunyan Marsous side, mainly from #ISIS/Daesh car bombs."

Earlier this year, the IS lost their other stronghold, Derna in eastern Libya, to rival Islamist groups. With the loss of Sirte, the IS will no longer control any cities in Libya. There may be cells throughout the country. Some appear to be in the area of the city of Bani Walid.

The U.S. bombing campaign called Operation Odyssey Lightning has been extended for another month to the end of September. The Sirte battle should be finished soon but perhaps the U.S. planes will find some IS fighters moving throughout the country to attack. A tweet reports on U.S. attacks today: #Libya-#Sirte: #US reportedly conducted 4 combat missions today incl. targeting 3 #ISIS snipers.

The BAM forces have had some support from small numbers of special forces from the U.K. and the U.S., as well as forces from the Petroleum Facilities Guard(PFG) who captured several towns east of Sirte earlier on in the campaign. Although General Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army associated with the Al-Thinni government of the House of Representatives (HoR), announced that he would march on Sirte to liberate it, he ended up not participating at all. Haftar refuses to recognize the GNA or the armed forces of the GNA. The PFG supports the GNA.