Katiba al-Bittar al-Libi is an armed Islamist group operating in Iraq, Syria and Libya. The group is composed largely of Libyan fighters who entered Syria in the wake of the Arab Spring and early post-civil uprising stage of the Syrian Civil War. Though the group is composed largely of Libyans, the group also has large amounts of Tunisians and Francophone Maghrebis from Europe, reportedly the perpetrators of the November 2015 Paris attacks and Manchester Arena bombing, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was suspected to be a leader of the group, were members of the group or affiliated with it, the group also pioneered the Inghimasi tactic used in the attack, and its fighters have largely employed the tactic on the battlefield.[3] The group maintained close ties to Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia through networks in Libya and has established multiple training camps across Libya and has recruited Tunisians to these camps, which were located around Sirte and Tripoli. During beginning of the infighting between ISIL and its former allies such as Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham fighters from Katiba al-Bittar took part in open fighting against ISIL's opponents in Markada and Atarib, in the process losing several fighters.
| Katiba al-Bittar al-Libi | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Abdelhamid Abaaoud †[1] Abu Dujana Al-Libi † |
| Dates of operation | 2012-Present |
| Group(s) | Islamic Youth Shura Council |
| Headquarters | Derna, Libya (2014-2016) |
| Active regions | Syria, Iraq, and Libya |
| Ideology | Islamism |
| Size | 350-1400 |
| Part of |  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Since 2014) |
| Allies |  Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia Green Battalion Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Joined in June 2014) Al-Nusra Front (Until 2014) |
| Opponents |  Syria Iraq Libya EU Hezbollah Free Syrian Army Authenticity and Development Front Islamic Front Al-Nusra Front (Since 2014) |
| Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War
Libyan Civil War (2014–present) International military intervention against ISIL |
In June 2014 after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared that ISIL had restored the Caliphate in Mosul, the group pledged allegiance to ISIL.[4]
In 2014, the group reportedly sent a delegation from al-Raqqah to Libya and established the Islamic Youth Shura Council in the city of Derna, which would later go on to become ISIL's Cyrenaica Province.
References
edit- ^ Higgins, Andrew; de Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko (17 November 2015). "An ISIS Militant From Belgium Whose Own Family Wanted Him Dead". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (25 April 2014). "Muhajireen Battalions in Syria (Part Two)". www.aymennjawad.org/. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Callimachi, Rukmini; Schmitt, Eric (3 June 2017). "Manchester Bomber Met With ISIS Unit in Libya, Officials Say". New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Saal, Johannes (21 December 2017). "The Islamic State's Libyan External Operations Hub: The Picture So Far". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 23 August 2022.