The Tubruq-based Libyan government has claimed that Mokhtar Belmokhtar has been killed by a US airstrike in eastern Libya. Belmokhtar is a notorious, Al-Qaeda-aligned terrorist who has operated in the Saharan region for decades. He rose to international prominence in 2013 after attacking the In Amenas gas field in Algeria, resulting in the deaths of 37 foreign workers.

Belmokhtar has built a reputation on being elusive, having escaped attempts on his life many times before – if the reports of his death turn out to be ‘greatly exaggerated,’ then it wouldn’t be the first time.

But if they are correct and Belmokhtar has been removed from the jihadi equation in North Africa, then it is Islamic State that stands as an unlikely beneficiary.

Analysis

The al-Qaeda-Islamic State split is dividing jihadist movements across the globe, and in this Libya and the wider Sahara theater are no exceptions. As noted in several recent Geopoliticalmonitor.com reports, Islamic State is making inroads in the vacuum of Libya by franchising out and getting pre-existing local outfits to claim allegiance and apply Islamic State ‘branding’ to their operations. This has allowed the group to carve out territorial havens with which to extend its reach with actual ISIS fighters – notably in Derna (a longtime jihadist hotspot), and Sirte.