IS leader in Libya says rivalry is holding jihadists back

The leader of Islamic State group in Libya says the North African country has become a “destination” for jihadists, with the numbers of fighters having doubled in recent months, but adds that his group has struggled to spread across Libya because of rivalries between militants.

His comments were published by Al-Nabaa, an IS-affiliated website. It identified the new leader as a Saudi national named Abdel-Qader al-Najdi, who took the title of “Emir deputized to manage the Libyan provinces” after his predecessor, Abu Nabil, was killed in an US airstrike in November.

Al-Najdi insists his group is getting stronger. US airstrikes recently destroyed the IS’s compound in the western Libyan city of Sabratha.

IS fighters have exploited the chaos of Libya’s civil war to gain territory.

— AP