ISIS Strikes Again in Southern Libya, Kidnaps 11

Migrants being rescued from a dinghy off the Libyan coast in the international waters between Malta and Libya (File Photo: AFP)

ISIS militants attacked a police station in Tazirbu, an oasis in the southeast of Libya, killing 9 policemen and kidnapping 11 civilians, its second attack in almost a month.

A security source said that nine policemen from Tazirbu police station were killed in the latest ISIS attack in the region, pointing out that the clashes took place near the city center before the terrorists managed to retreat, abducting 11 people.

A military source said that dozens of armed men on armed vehicles launched separate attacks on the police station and a number of government facilities, pointing out that they were forced to flee the area after clashes with locals.

Local sources reported hours of clashes between police officers, supported by locals, and the terrorists who abducted the head of Tazirbu Security Directorate, Colonel Abdul Hamid al-Snoussi, and his brothers from their homes.

The head of Tazirbu’s Elder Council, Allafi Badr al-Din, also reported the kidnapping of deputy of the municipal council, Mohammed Hassan Khairallah.

Ambulance and emergency service in the city listed eight people, including a Sudanese national, noting that ten others were injured, eight of whom were taken to treatment in the city of Ajdabiya.

Both the Presidential Council and the High Council of State have condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist assault that targets all Libyans. They called for unifying the ranks and efforts to confront terrorism and eradicate terrorist groups.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) condemned the deadly terrorist attack on Tazirbu, which ISIS claimed responsibility for, and expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the martyrs, calling for the immediate release of the hostages and their safe return to their families.

“UNSMIL reminds the parties to the conflict of their obligation to protect civilians and calls upon them to immediately cease targeting civilians and civilian objects in compliance with International Humanitarian Law,” the statement added.

Three non-governmental organizations from Barcelona announced the launch of a joint rescue mission for migrants off the coast of Libya, where no aid ships have been since late September.

Sea Watch had put together an alliance for a ‘Europe in Solidarity’, both at sea and on land. A humanitarian fleet joined by Mediterranea and Open Arms to rescue immigrants.

Sea Watch spokeswoman said that there is a deafening silence, and there aren’t any rescue ships in the sea.

Founder of Proactiva Open Arms, Oscar Camps, noted that the task was kept secret to avoid any attempts of obstruction, as happened with the ship Aquarius.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Rome, Mediterranea spokeswoman asserted that the NGO’s are in situation they don’t wish to be, but had “European governments done their duty, we would not be here."

She added that since 2012, European governments shut all channels of legal access to Europe, describing them as the “biggest ally of human trafficking.”