Fighters affiliated to ISIS have set up checkpoints on Sunday 15 March both within and at the entrances of the eastern Libyan port of Derna. According to eyewitnesses, each checkpoint is manned by 10-15 fighters equipped with Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades, as well as 4x4 vehicles with mounted anti-aircraft machine guns. Different groups of fighters take shifts in guarding the checkpoints for specific periods of time. The head of the sentries is equipped with a walkie-talkie. The fighters confiscate any liquor and tobacco they find and destroy it on the spot. People deemed guilty of violating Islamic law are taken to the offices of the Islamic police inside the city. When aircraft are spotted flying overhead the fighters disperse, fearing their checkpoints might be targeted.
February 2015
Derna, Libya
Video shot by an eyewitness at the end of February 2015 showing ISIS militants parading through the streets of the northeastern Libyan city of Derna.
The fighters drive in convoys sounding their horns and showing off their guns and flags on a public highway in central Derna as they pass by civilian cars.
February 16, 2015
Derna, Libya
At least seven civilians including three children were killed on February 16, 2015, when Egyptian jets bombed suspected ISIS affiliates in the eastern Libyan city of Derna, Amnesty International said, citing eyewitnesses.
The video shows the airstrikes hitting Eastern Shiha, a suburb of Derna, and medics attempting to resuscitate children wounded in the airstrikes without success. It also shows civilians walking amongst the rubble of the damaged buildings.
The Egyptian airstrikes on Libyan soil are a retaliation to an ISIS video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya.
Forces loyal to the former Libyan army general Khalifa Haftar conducted airstrikes on the eastern Libyan city of Derna, which is controlled by extremist militias affiliated to ISIS, such as "The Islamic Youth Shura Council".
This video shows the extensive damage to an unfinished house, which the owner says was caused by one of the airstrikes.
Siraj Ebrik, the house owner, says that he never held any weapons in the building.
Update: the Islamic Youth Shura Council declares its allegiance to ISIS in February 2015.
Dozens of armed and masked gunmen from the "Islamic Youth Shura Council" militia roamed the streets of Derna in a military parade on April 7, 2014. According to activists, about 150 militants drove around Derna in SUVs. The "Islamic Youth Shura Council" issued a statement saying it plans to take over security in Derna. The group also announced the formation of a legal committee to settle differences between people and arrange reconciliations on the basis of Sharia law. Since the 2011 revolution, official institutions and security forces have been absent from Derna. After the parade, the militia sent its troops at the city's entrances and set up roadblocks and check-points.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Armed militants affiliated to ISIS parade down the streets of Derna, Libya showing off their weapons and brandishing the black ISIS flag.
Burned out government building in Derna, Libya that was torched during the initial uprising in February
A protest at a local school in Derna, Libya where students hold up placards with depictions of the American Flag, Qatar and UAE flags.
Women's groups in Derna, Libya have begun organizing preparing for a more active role for women in the future of a new government.
A Libyan rebel fighter is brought back to his village to be buried just outside Derna Libya after being killed by Gaddafi forces in Ajdabiya
A Libyan rebel fighter is brought back to his village just outside Derna Libya after being killed by Gaddafi forces in Ajdabiya
An unknown graffati artist took to the streets of Derna Libya voicing his hopes for a new post Gaddafi Libya; A Libya where everyone is included and pluralism celebrated.