Tag Archives: Libya

ISIS Claims Kidnapping of Christians in Libya

Three African Christians have been kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.

The group released photographs of the men bound and blindfolded along with pictures of their passports on various social media sites sympathetic to the terrorists.

The International Business Times says the three men were all migrants from other nations:  Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana.  A source told Reuters they were kidnapped in Noufiyah, an ISIS dominated town which was later confirmed by a government source.

ISIS has been attempting to strengthen their hold in parts of Libya, using the vacuum created by the governmental strife to swoop into areas not strongly controlled by the military.  The terrorists have also attacked multiple foreign missions in Tripoli.

The capital city of Tripoli has been controlled by the rebel faction Libya Dawn since last year forcing the government to operate in exile.

Meanwhile, another kidnapping of Christians is believed to have taken place in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that Friar Antoine Boutros, pastor of the Shahba parish, was kidnapped on July 12th along with his driver.  The two men haven’t been seen or heard from since that date.

The Friar had just finished celebrating mass when he disappeared.

ISIS Kidnaps 86 Non-Muslims In Libya

Islamic terrorist group ISIS swooped in on Eritrean refugees in Libya, kidnapping anyone who said they were not a Muslim.

The Commission on Eritrean Refugees reported the attack Sunday.

“IS militants asked everyone who is Muslim or not and everybody started saying they are Muslims,” Meron Estefanos, the co-founder of the International Commission on Eritrean Refugees, told the International Business Times.

The terrorists then began quizzing those who claimed to be Muslims on the Koran and took those who could not answer the questions.

The kidnappings came just two days after two Eritrean refugees were shot dead during a similar attack by ISIS.

Eritrean refugees are fleeing their country’s political oppression.  They risk passing through ISIS controlled areas of Libya to obtain a boat ride to Italy and freedom.

The refugees are tracing similar paths to Ethiopian refugees, just like the 28 Ethiopian Christians who were slaughtered by ISIS in April in their quest for freedom.

CER said that many Eritrean refugees are now trying to avoid Libya because of the terrorists.

ISIS Kills Ethiopian Christians In Libya

The White House has condemned ISIS after a release of a video showing the execution of Ethiopian Christians in Libya was released Sunday.

The video shows ISIS terrorists shooting and beheading the Christians.

“We express our condolences to the families of the victims and our support to the Ethiopian government and people as they grieve for their fellow citizens,” National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said in a statement. “That these terrorists killed these men solely because of their faith lays bare the terrorists’ vicious, senseless brutality.”

The 29-minute video comes on the heels of Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani saying ISIS was behind a suicide attack that killed at least 35 people.  The attacks show ISIS is beginning to develop the ability to attack far outside their strongholds in Iraq and Syria.

The video also mirrors their previous killing of Coptic Christians in Egypt.

Ethiopia has been in the sights of Islamic terrorists because they are part of the African Union force that has driven the Islamic terrorists group al-Shabaab out of their neighbor Somalia.

Egypt Bombs ISIS In Libya

Egyptian planed bombed ISIS targets in Libya Monday in a direct response to the terrorist’s killing of 21 Coptic Christians shown in a video this weekend.

The planes struck militant camps, training sites and at least one weapons storage area.

The terrorists have taken advantage of the unstable government in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.  The strikes by the Egyptian military are the first direct actions in Libya’s territory by the new Egyptian government.

The military issued a call to terrorists to say that Libya is not a safe haven for anyone who would issue a terrorist attack.

“And let those near and far know that the Egyptians have a shield that protects and preserves the security of the country, and a sword that eradicates terrorism,” the Egyptian military said in a statement.

The current Libyan government also participated in the attacks on ISIS.

Pope Francis issued a condemnation of the killings, saying that the 21 were killed only because they were Christians.

Middle East observers say the action by Egypt are part of a campaign of leaders in the region to tell ISIS they will not be moved.

“It’s swift and decisive, it’s not about strategy, it’s about containing anger within Egypt,” said Hassan Hassan, co-author of a book on Islamic State.

“Just like in Jordan, it’s more about saving face, saying: ‘You can’t mess with us’. …. It’s likely to evolve into a sustained strategy of helping in the fight against ISIS (Islamic State) in neighboring countries.”

ISIS Video Shows Massacre Of 21 Christians

ISIS released a video on Sunday of terrorists loyal to ISIS beheading 21 Coptic Christians.

The Libyan terrorists marched the Christians down a beach, lined up them up and then beheaded each of them.

“Safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for,” a knife-wielding militant says on camera.  “We will conquer Rome, by Allah’s permission.”

The terrorists identify themselves as the Tripoli Province of the Islamic State.  The terrorists have claimed to be holding the 21 Christians for weeks.

The Egyptian government declared a seven-day mourning period for the slain Christians.  President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi offered his condolences to “the victims of terrorism” according to a Presidential statement.

Egyptians have fled to surrounding nations to find work in the wake of the 2011 Islamist uprising in Egypt.

Eleven Commercial Aircraft Missing From Libyan Airport

Western intelligence agencies are scrambling after discovering that 11 commercial aircraft have disappeared from the airport in Tripoli airport.

Islamist militias took control of the airport last month as they continue to take over the country.  There have been continual battles around the airport between the rival Islamist groups that have resulted in intelligence agencies not being able to confirm which groups may have flown the aircraft to other locations.

The fear is that many of the planes will be used to make attacks on September 11th, the 13th anniversary of the attacks on New York and the 2nd anniversary of the attack on the Benghazi embassy assault.

The airport still has seven aircraft in various states of damage sitting around the terminal.  However, Libyan Airlines had 14 planes this summer and state-owned Afriqiyah Airways had 13 aircraft.  All but 11 have been found since the airport was closed in mid-July.

Military forces all across North Africa have been placed on a heightened alert because of the missing planes.

Islamist Websites Call For Kidnappings Of Americans

The capture of an al-Qaeda terrorist in Libya by U.S. Special Forces has caused a stir among Islamic extremists to the point they’re declaring open season on Americans.

“Over the past few days, we picked up significant chatter related to the kidnapping of American citizens in response to the abduction of Abu Anas al-Libi,” a source told Fox News.

One of the terrorists being monitored by analysts told followers on Twitter there was no need to consult with anyone if you wanted to kidnap an American.

According to multiple jihadist websites, the general plan is to kidnap a number of Americans to use as bargaining chips to get terrorists released from jails across the world. Specifically mentioned was Omar Abd Al-Rahman, convicted for his part in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described creator of the 9/11 attacks.

While there is nothing explicitly saying al-Qaeda is supporting the evolving plan, no leaders from the group have taken any steps to stop it.

Sicily Declares State of Emergency Due To Migrants

The number of refugees fleeing Africa and Syria have grown to the point that Sicily has been forced to declare a state of emergency.

Italian officials say 370 migrants were rescued from boats between Libya and Sicily on Tuesday. All the migrants were being taken to the island of Lampedusa.

The state of emergency means that Italy’s civil protection service will be able to more efficiently carry out their work in dealing with people entering the country illegally according to the BBC.

Over 400 migrants have died from capsized boats in the last two weeks. Officials say the victims were fleeing war and poverty in Africa believing in a better life in Europe.

EU officials are being called upon to step in and provide funding help with the refugee crisis.