By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 24 March 2015:
The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s car bomb explosion outside the security . . .[restrict]administration building in Misrata. A statement purportedly from IS, showed seemingly authentic photos of the blast.
No one was killed in the incident although a family driving past at the time of the explosion were hurt.
IS had previously claimed responsibility for a bomb explosion on 15 March outside the headquarters of 166 Battalion in which a member of the battalion was killed. It also claimed responsibility for a bomb attack the same day in the west Tripoli suburb or Janzour.
Although part of Libya Dawn which has been accused of collusion with IS in the east of the country, Misrata has now found itself in the front line fighting against it after Sirte fell and the nearby town of Nawfaliya into the jihadists’ hands.
Last week, ten members of 166 Battalion were murdered in an early morning raid by IS near Nawfaliya, the small desert which it took over last month. The raid followed fighting near Sirte in which 17 IS members including a Tunisian commander named Ahmed Rouissi were killed by the Misratans.
IS also put a video during the week accusing the Misratans of betraying Islam and the revolution and of being “enemies of God”. It promised an onslaught of suicide and car bombings in the city. [/restrict]
