Libya may become springboard for Islamic State - US State Department

U.S. officials are increasingly concerned about the growing presence and influence of the Syria-based Islamic State movement in Libya.

The officials have warned that senior IS leaders have travelled to the war-torn North African country to help recruit and organise militants, particularly in Derna and Sirte.

According to US State Department's Diplomatic Security Bureau reports, IS militants were reponsible for carrying out several attacks, including the car bombing and siege at the Corinthia hotel in Tripoli and an attack on the Mabruk oilfield south of Sirte.

The State Department document said estimates of the number of Islamic State fighters operating in Libya ranged from 1000 to 3000, with approximately 800 fighters based in the Derna area alone. Up to 300 of these are thought to be combat veterans who previously fought in Syria or Iraq.

U.S. officials have warned that Libya had become a “springboard” for would-be fighters from across North Africa hankering for front line experience with the Islamic State.

The disintegration of central authority in Libya "has given ISIL an opening to establish a legitimate foothold," said the State Department assessment.

But the report also said that the terrorist organisation had only limited success in capturing and holding territory in Libya.

U.S. officials said Libya Dawn, an Islamist, but non-Jihadist, movement based in the city of Misurata, was mounting a counter-attack against Islamic State forces, a development which the United States considered encouraging.