4 Indian Teachers Detained in Islamic State-Held Territory

Four Indian men were taken hostage late Wednesday night at a checkpoint in Libya while attempting to leave Libya and return to India via Tunisia. The checkpoint, about 50km outside of Sirte, was located in territory controlled by the Islamic State. The men had all previously taught at Sirte University in Libya. Last July, the Indian government issued an “advisory asking its citizens to leave Libya”.

Friday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that two of the men who were detained, Laxmikant and Vijay Kumar, have “been released” and “brought back safely to the University of Sirte”. There was hope that the other two still held captive would be released within a day or two of their capture. However, as of today, there are no new developments regarding the two men still detained, Balram Kishan and T Gopikrishna. Reports indicated that at least some of the militants were former students at the University, and this may also have played a role in the decision to release the men. Additionally the captured teachers were reportedly asked to provide their religious affiliation. It’s unclear if their religious identity also played any role to the decision to release the two.

There is no official confirmation yet as to which group was behind this detention, however, the two men who were released said they were held by an Islamic State-affiliated militia.

Libya was plunged into chaos following the NATO-backed overthrow of former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi by Libyan militias, which included Al Qaeda, in 2011. As previously mentioned in Free Fire, the Islamic State has taken great advantage of this situation, and has made advances despite the presence of forces from the internationally recognized Libyan government, now located in Tobruk after being ousted by the rebel Muslim Brotherhood-linked Fajr Libya (a.k.a. “Libyan Dawn”) militia, who are located in Tripoli, Libya’s capital.

Sirte, Gaddafi’s former hometown, in particular has been a target of IS action in Libya. IS seized Sirte on May 21 of this year, following over a day of fighting. Capturing Sirte was a significant win for Islamic State members because of the city’s location in central Libya and along a major highway that connects the east to the west.

Also, on May 28 of this year, Islamic State fighters raided the civilian airbase Al-Qaradabiya near Sirte. This event raised concern about IS’s growing presence in Libya, especially in regards to neighboring countries. Italy in particular has serious concerns about Libya’s condition, given its proximity to the war-torn country. Libya provides the Islamic State several strategic opportunities including opening a second front against Egypt and opening trafficking routes into West Africa where IS has affiliates in Mali and Nigeria. It also opens up the possibility of further expansion into Europe through Italy, utilizing the the European Commission’s refugee system.

It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, officially claims responsibility for these actions and if they provide insight into the motives behind the detention.