Eastern Libyan forces a faction of the Libyan National Army (LNA) has said that it killed a commander from the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in southern Libya. The commander identified as Abu Talha al-Libi was killed during an operation to secure oil and gas assets and fight militants in the lawless south launched earlier in the year.
The commander was killed alongside two other militants near Sabha; an Egyptian and Libyan presumed to previously have links with IS. Al Qaeda and Islamic State use southern Libya as a base for attacks in Libya and neighboring countries, exploiting a security vacuum created by the fall of Dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
The LNA sent troops to Sabha last week, triggering speculation they might be headed for the El Sharara oilfield that produces 315,000-barrels a day and has been closed since December due to protests. The LNA is led by Khalifa Haftar, a major player in Libya since his forces seized Benghazi in 2017, after a three-year battle mainly with Islamist fighters.
