Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

Ansar al-Sharia in Libya
أَنْصَارُ الشَّرِيعَةِ بِلِيبْيَا
Leaders	Abu Khalid al Madani[3] Mohamed al-Zahawi †[4]
Dates of operation	June 2012 – 27 May 2017[5][6][7]
Active regions	Benghazi[8] Other cities in Eastern Libya[2]
Ideology	Islamism Salafi jihadism Anti-Gaddafism
Status	Defunct
Size	4,500–5,000+[9]
Part of	Ansar al-Sharia Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna Ajdabiya Shura Council
Allies	Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia) Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb[1] Libya Shield 1 Rafallah al-Sahati Brigade[10] Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade
Opponents	Al-Saiqa (Libya) Operation Dignity coalition
Battles and wars	First Libyan Civil War Inter-civil war violence in Libya 2012 Benghazi attack Second Libyan Civil War Battle of Benghazi (2014–2017)
Designated as a terrorist group by	Iraq  Turkey  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United Nations  United States
Preceded by February 17th Martyrs Brigade Abu Obayda bin al-Jarah Brigade Malik Brigade[5]

Ansar al-Sharia was a al-Qaeda allied Islamist militant group that wanted to enforce Sharia law in Libya.^[5] The group was created in the year 2011, during the Libyan Civil War.^[11] Until January of 2015, the group was led by Muhammad al-Zahawi.^[4] The group has been designated a terrorist group by the United Nations,^[12] New Zealand,^[13] Iraq,^[14] Turkey,^[13] the United Arab Emirates,^[13] the United Kingdom,^[15] and the United States.^[16]

On the 27th of May 2017, the group disbanded itself, due to many losses that destroyed the leadership of the group and killed many of its fighters.^[13]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Ansar al-Shari'a: Transforming Libya into a Land of Jihad". Jamestown Foundation. 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Mohamed Eljarh (20 January 2014). "There's No Room for Democracy in Libya's Extremist Hub". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
3. ↑ "Ansar al Sharia Libya fights on under new leader". The Long War Journal. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "Leader of Libyan Islamists Ansar al-Sharia dies of wounds". Reuters. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} "Profile: Libya's Ansar al-Sharia". BBC News. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
6. ↑ "Libya militia linked to U.S. attack returns to Benghazi". Reuters. 17 February 2013. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
7. ↑ "Libyan Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia says it is dissolving". Reuters. 27 May 2017. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017.
8. ↑ "US names groups suspected of Benghazi attack". Al Jazeera English. 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
9. ↑ Michael, Maggie; Hendawi, Hamza (18 September 2012). "A Benghazi power, Libya militia eyed in attack". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012.
10. ↑ McGregor, Andrew (8 August 2014). "Libya's Ansar al-Shari'a Declares the Islamic Emirate of Benghazi". Terrorism Monitor. 12 (16). The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
11. ↑ Office of the Spokesperson (10 January 2014). "Terrorist Designations of Three Ansar al-Shari'a Organizations and Leaders". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
12. ↑ "The List established and maintained by the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee with respect to individuals, groups, undertakings and other entities associated with Al-Qaida". United Nations Security Council Committee 1267. UN.org. 19 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3} "Ansar al-Shariah (Libya) | Mapping Militants Project". mappingmilitants.org. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
14. ↑ الموضوع Archived 14 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine moj.gov.iq (in Arabic)
15. ↑ "Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations". Home Office. 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
16. ↑ Office of the Spokesperson (10 January 2014). "Terrorist Designations of Three Ansar al-Shari'a Organizations and Leaders". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2014.