SUMMARY

Shabab al-Tawhid wa al-Aqiyda was an armed Salafist group active in Libya. While few details about the group’s origins were available, it was most likely created in the coastal town Sirte at some point in 2015. The group was linked in some way to the Salafist preacher Sheik Khalid bin Rajab al-Farjani, even if the exact connection was not known. The group was opposed to the Islamic State (IS), which had occupied Sirte in May 2015.

When fighting against IS in 2015, Shabab al-Tawhid wa al-Aqiyda received warring support from the al-Farjani tribe, one of the most influential communal groups in Sirte. The group also appears to have received support from former fighters of the 136 “Jalit” Battalion, an armed militia that had been routed by IS earlier in 2015.

Shabab al-Tawhid wa al-Aqiyda was defeated by IS in August 2015, and it was unclear if it continued to exist as a unified actor after this.