ISIS have released a new propaganda video from Libya, showing off their Islamic police force patrolling around the city of Sirte.
Footage shows a unit of ISIS police, dressed in matching uniforms and driving white pickup trucks complete with their own flashing blue and white sirens.
The central Libyan city has been predominantly held by the terrorist group since June 2015 following the loss of their eastern capital, Dernah.
The propaganda video showcases ISIS’s desire to be seen as building an actual state. As the West watches on, the group focuses on expanding in Libya.
Law and order has been limited in Libya since the fall of Muammar al-Gaddafi in the Libyan revolution, leaving the country at the mercy of rival militia groups.
The video appears to show the ISIS held city is still functioning well, with civilians filmed shopping on the streets and electricity seemingly running without any problems.
All the members of the Islamic police are armed with Kalashnikovs and have their faces masked to disguise their identity.
Libyan media has recently revealed that many of ISIS’s recruits living in Sirte are foreign fighters from as far as Syria and east Africa.
ISIS forces have been trying to gain ground to the east of Sirte, targeting the rich oilfields near the town of Ajdabiya.
At least 14 people were killed and 25 wounded during clashes in Ajdabiya between armed groups loyal to the official Tobruk government and Islamist groups.
The fighting erupted on Thursday, the same day as Libya’s warring factions signed a United Nations-brokered agreement to form a unity government. Western powers hope the deal will bring stability and help to combat a growing ISIS presence.
However, the agreement faces questions from critics about how representative the proposed government will be, and whether armed factions on the ground will obey the new government. Some brand it a U.N.-imposed deal.
In a separate incident, two guards were wounded when an unknown group attacked the military intelligence building in the western town of Sabratha, the mayor said.
ISIS has exploited a growing security vacuum in Libya, where two administrations - each with its own government and parliament - are fighting for control four years after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi.
The official prime minister and parliament have been based in the east since a rival group seized the capital Tripoli. Its government has been working from hotels in the city of Tobruk, about 270 km from Ajdabiya.
ISIS’s decision to promote its focus on law and order in Sirte comes as the city of Tripoli continues to struggle with lawlessness and a growing rise in kidnappings.
A Maltese doctor was snatched by armed gunmen off the streets of Tripoli, according to the Libya Herald.
It is thought the gunmen have demanded a $5 million ransom for Pierre Baldacchino, a Maltese doctor, who was looking forward to flying home to spend Christmas with his young family in Malta.
Dr Baldacchino, 26, was working at St James hospital as a pathologist when he was taken earlier this week.
Both sides have several former anti-Gaddafi rebel groups fighting for them. After Gaddafi’s ouster, the various factions split along political, regional and tribal lines; Daily Mail reported.
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