An eyewitness to the Sabratha war against ISIS tells LANA the details of confronting the terrorist organization on the ninth anniversary

Sabratha, February 24, 2024 (LANA) - The head of the Foundation for the Families of Victims of the Aggression of Terrorist Groups affiliated with the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) on the city of Sabratha, Dr. Ali Akasha, recalled the pains of the memory carved in the hearts of the residents of this historic coastal city located in the northwest of our country during the confrontations with the terrorist organization that tried to control Sabratha and turn it into a terrorist base and emirate. Akasha expressed his disgust in a statement to a team from (LANA - Libyan News) that visited the city to conduct an in-depth investigation into the Sabratha Heritage House yesterday, Sunday, which coincided with the ninth anniversary of the outbreak of this confrontation to liberate Sabratha from the elements of the terrorist organization on February 23, 2016, the non-participation of the ruling authority at that time in this confrontation with the terrorist organization, neither with weapons nor with money, stressing that the uprising to resist the terrorists, defeat them and cleanse the city was led by the people of Sabratha and the surrounding cities and resulted in the martyrdom of 64 young men and men.

He said in this regard: "We do not claim that glory was for Sabratha alone, but we confirm that the neighboring cities cooperated with us, and we have martyrs from Sorman, Abu Issa, Zawiya, Tripoli, Raqdalin, Zwara, and Ajilat... It was a gift from all the cities that sensed that danger would spread to the region."

Akasha explained that the terrorist organization’s elements settled in the historic tourist city of Sabratha, which is known for its good reception of visitors from various Libyan cities and foreign residents who flock to visit the antiquities and its beautiful beach. At first, they were in disguise and rarely appeared in a car flying the ISIS flag. He pointed out that some of them spoke in a Tunisian dialect and dialects from other countries, which attracted the attention of the city’s residents and raised controversy and questions such as “Who are these people, where did they come from, and who received them?” until the American airstrike targeted a house where members of the organization were holding a meeting in the Al-Qasr area, where about 40 terrorists were killed and weapons, money, plans, and leaflets were found in the targeted house. He added that the terrorist organization elements dispersed after the strike and took some rest houses as their headquarters, so some young people from the city's residents moved on February 23, 2016 and attacked those rest houses, but those elements were highly trained and prepared for the confrontation, so the confrontation resulted in the martyrdom of eight young people from the city in the Al-Nahda area (south of Sabratha).

Okasha reported that ISIS elements went out at night and attacked near the Security Directorate and the old mosque, and the clashes resulted in 11 martyrs, which raised the number of martyrs to 19 martyrs, and the city that night after it turned into a ghost town groaning in pain.

He added that the terrorist organization elements withdrew at dawn to the west of the city, about 10 kilometers away, and it was not known whether they wanted to leave and depart by sea or by the desert road because the area to which they withdrew is an open area close to the beach and desert roads.

The head of the Foundation for the Families of Victims of Terrorist Groups continued, stating that on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, the city’s residents, young and old, gathered armed with their rifles and knives, driven by the love of martyrdom for the sake of their city and for the sake of Libya, to defeat and eliminate these terrorists, especially since their occupation of this area of ​​Libyan land means that the area extending between the Tunisian border and Sabratha will be under the control of the terrorist organization and will thus turn into a dagger in the side of the homeland. He pointed out that a group of real national officers from the armed forces intervened and advised the youth to be patient, take it easy and prepare to launch a surprise attack on Thursday, but the enthusiastic youth were advancing to confront any source of fire from the organization’s elements with bare chests and the damage was great, but on Thursday about 90 percent of the city was liberated and cleansed of terrorists while some small pockets remained in the popular Souq al-Juma area known as (Souk al-Alalqa) and in the Jfara area. The last battles against the terrorist organization took place on March 2, 2016, leaving 64 martyrs from Sabratha and neighboring cities and killing a large number of terrorists while others fled towards Tunis, Sirte and the eastern region and among the fugitives may be those who participated in the terrorist attack on the Tunisian border city of Ben Guerdane on March 7, 2016. The head of the Foundation of the Families of Victims of the Terrorist Groups (ISIS) Aggression on the City of Sabratha, Dr. Ali Akasha, praised the important role played by many officers of the armed forces, including officer Omar Abdul Jalil, who participated in the war against terrorism and his valiant resistance to the terrorist organization and its expulsion from the city of Sabratha until he was martyred. He said: "As we commemorate today the ninth anniversary of the liberation of Sabratha from ISIS, we ask for mercy for all the martyrs who sacrificed their blood so that we may enjoy security and stability today. We hope that the Libyan state will enjoy stability and get rid of corruption and that the Libyans will be able to build their bright future."

 (LANA)