Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — A Libyan city has been captured in the name of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

An Islamic group said it seized the Libyan city of Darnah as part of the new caliphate of ISIL.

The statement by the Islamic Youth Shura Council, known by its Arabic acronym, MSSI, could mark the first success by ISIL in North Africa.

“Despite the lack of public statements from ISIS [ISIL] on the matter, MSSI’s gambit in Libya could be a model for future acquisition of territory by the Islamic State beyond its base in Iraq and Syria,” Aaron Zelin, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said.

ISIL has not confirmed any role in the capture of Darnah, announced by Islamic Youth on Oct. 3. Since May, Islamic Youth has conducted patrols in Darnah, a city of 80,000 along the Mediterranean Sea.

Islamic Youth, formed in April 2014, has used ISIL’s insignia since June. Little is known of the group, which shares Darnah with other Islamic militias and staged an execution in a sport stadium in August.

In his report, titled “The Islamic State’s First Colony in Libya,” Zelin said the purported capture of Darnah could extend ISIL’s control over Libya.

He said the use of proxies such as Islamic Youth could enable ISIL to expand its influence far beyond Iraq and Syria.

“Governments worldwide must realize that ISIS cannot be wished away or ignored, and that the movement is not territorially fixed,” the report said.

“Rather, the Islamic State seems to be awakening many potential adherents in various corners of the world.”

  Darnah, Islamic group claims Libyan city in name of ISIL in what may become trend, Islamic Youth Shura Council