ISIS sets up training camps in E. Libya next door to Egypt

The US military is closely monitoring the training camps the Islamic State has set up in the east Libyan town of Derna, but US Gen. David Rodriguez, head of the Africa Command, said Thursday that the camps are still “very small and nascent.” He ruled out military action. At the same time, experts warn that a number of local factions in Derna have pledged loyalty to ISIS and warn that the Islamists have gained a foothold there.
DEBKAfile adds: While the US general tried to play down this development, the new ISIS presence in North Africa has grave ramifications for neighboring Egypt and Israel to the northeast, especially since the Islamist Ansar Beit al-Maqdis of Sinai pledged allegiance to ISIS. Since Qaddafi’s fall, East Libya has been a primary source of illicit arms, which reach the Gaza Strip and other Middle East destinations via the smuggling routes of Sinai.