Amaq News Agency claims the Islamic State still controls four neighborhoods inside Sirte, Libya. Amaq says that special forces from four Western countries (US, UK, France and Italy) are involved in the offensive. The jihadists have lost significant ground in and around the city since May.
The Islamic State’s newest edition of Dabiq magazine features an interview with Abul Mughirah al Qahtani, who is identified for the first time as the head of the “caliphate’s” Libyan “province.” Qahtani complains bitterly about the Islamic State’s jihadist and Islamist rivals. He notes, for example, that Ansar al Sharia has failed to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and says the group is close to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.