Merkposten: ISIS in Libyen

Während der Kampf gegen ISIS in Syrien und im Irak derzeit die Debatte bestimmt… wird die Terrororganisation in Libyen, an der Küste des Mittelmeers direkt Europa gegenüber, immer aktiver.

Das ist ein wichtiger Merkposten – deshalb der Hinweis auf zwei aktuelle Berichte dazu:

New York Times: ISIS’ Grip on Libyan City Gives It a Fallback Option

When the Libyan arm of the Islamic State first raised the group’s black flag over the coastal city of Surt almost one year ago, it was just a bunch of local militants trying to look tough.

Today Surt is an actively managed colony of the central Islamic State, crowded with foreign fighters from around the region, according to residents, local militia leaders and hostages recently released from the city’s main prison.

Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Entrenches in Sirte, Libya

Even as foreign powers step up pressure against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, the militant group has expanded in Libya and established a new base close to Europe where it can generate oil revenue and plot terror attacks.
Since announcing its presence in February in Sirte, the city on Libya’s Mediterranean coast has become the first that the militant group governs outside of Syria and Iraq. Its presence there has grown over the past year from 200 eager fighters to a roughly 5,000-strong contingent which includes administrators and financiers, according to estimates by Libyan intelligence officials, residents and activists in the area.