The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has seized control of Derna, a port city in eastern Libya just about 200 miles east of the Egyptian border.

ISIS fighters in the city have reached 800 with scores scattered across several militant strong holds at about half a dozen camps located outside of town and others in larger facilities in the Green Mountains, where foreign fighters are being trained.

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The Barqa - the name with which the new ISIS Derna branch has decided to call itself - has wedged itself completely into the city's inner systems, controlling judicial courts, city administration bureaus, education and local media.

The Derna of today is not much different from Raqqa, a Syrian town that now houses the ISIS' main stronghold, Benotman said.

He said that the takeover underscores the growing threat posed by the ISIS in Libya and warned of the potential creation of an Islamic emirate in the region.  

Sources say the militant group is seeking to expand its presence and move westward along the city's coast.

The group's takeover has not only been helped by the addition of over 300 Libyan rebels formerly of the ISIS' al Battar Brigade, but also by the political instability that has plagued the region.

While most of Derna's 100,000 residents are opposed to the incursion, the complete absence of a central government makes it almost impossible for them to remedy the situation, said Noman Benotman, a former Libyan jihadist who now works as counter-terrorism analyst at the Quilliam Foundation.

Some locals have also found it hard to wage battle against the ISIS because of relatives who have joined the militia, Benotman added.

Despite this, the Libyan government has struck back. Last week, the Libyan Air Force carried out air strikes at targeted ISIS positions in Derna, CNN relayed.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition has launched air strikes against the ISIS but to no avail. So far, the air strikes have had no serious effect on the rebel group's momentum as it continues to lay siege to cities in Iraq, Syria, and now Libya.

TagsDerna, ISIS, ISIL, Libya, Barqa, Raqqa, Airstrikes