The February 17th Martyrs Brigade is an Islamist militia in Libya.

Composition

In 2015, the brigade consisted of 12

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

s and possessed a large collection of light and heavy weapons in addition to training facilities. Its membership was estimated at between 1,500 and 3,500.

2012–2015

The ''February 17th Martyrs Brigade'' was called on for assistance by the US government during the

2012 Benghazi attack The 2012 Benghazi attack was a coordinated attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia. On September 11, 2012, at 9:40 pm local time, members of Ansar ...

. ''13 Hours'' (book). In 2015, the brigade was considered to be the largest and best armed militia in eastern

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

. It was financed by the Libyan defense ministry. The group carried out "security and law and order" tasks in eastern Libya and

Kufra Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and oasis group in the Kufra District of southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. At the end of nineteenth century Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in t ...

in the south.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{Cite news , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19744533, title=Guide to key Libyan militias , work= BBC News , date=20 May 2014 , accessdate=20 February 2015 {{cite web , last1 =Glenn , first1 =Cameron , title= Libya's Islamists: Who They Are - And What They Want , website=

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...

, date = 2015-08-27 , url = https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/libyas-islamists-who-they-are-and-what-they-want , accessdate = 2020-02-05 , archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20151011091928/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/libyas-islamists-who-they-are-and-what-they-want , archivedate= 2015-10-11 , url-status=live , url-access = First Libyan Civil War Military of Libya National Liberation Army (Libya) Rebel groups in Libya