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The Libyan Army ( ar, الجيش الليبي) is the brand for a number of separate military forces in Libya, which are under the command of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). Since December 2015 the groups of the Libyan Army has been nominally subordinated to the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli. Due to the instability in the country in 2011 civil war and the outbreak of a new conflict in 2014, the Libyan ground forces remain structurally divided, with components constituting the
Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near t ...
-based
Libyan National Army The Libyan National Army (LNA; ar, الجيش الوطني الليبي, ''al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii'') is a component of Libya's military forces which were nominally a unified national force under the command of Field Marshal Khalifa Ha ...
(LNA) under the command of
Khalifa Haftar Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, Ḵalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA ...
. The forces loyal to the GNA have been fighting against various other factions in Libya, including the
Islamic State An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ' ...
. Some efforts have been made to create a truly national army, but most of the forces under the Tripoli government's command consist of various militia groups, such as the
Tripoli Protection Force The Tripoli Protection Force is a militia that was formed from the merger of four pro- Libyan Army Libyan militias on 18 December 2018. Groups involved in the merger include: the Tripoli Brigade, the Abusleem Deterence and Rapid Intervention Fo ...
, and local factions from cities like
Misrata Misrata ( ; also spelled Misurata or Misratah; ar, مصراتة, Miṣrāta ) is a city in the Misrata District in northwestern Libya, situated to the east of Tripoli and west of Benghazi on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. With ...
and
Zintan Zintan ( ar, الزنتان Latin: Tentheos, Berber language: ''Zintan'' or ''Tigharmin'' or ''Tiɣaṛmin'', meaning "small castles") is one of the biggest cities in north western Libya, situated roughly southwest of Tripoli, in the area. The ...
.Dozens dead after days of clashes near Libyan capital
France24 France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market. Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Mo ...
. Published 31 August 2018.


Organization

There are two main warfare organization sin Libya: GAN Libyan army and LNA. The other major military force in Libya is the
Libyan National Army The Libyan National Army (LNA; ar, الجيش الوطني الليبي, ''al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii'') is a component of Libya's military forces which were nominally a unified national force under the command of Field Marshal Khalifa Ha ...
(LNA), which in 2014 evolved from what was originally called the LNA in 2011 following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. In 2014, the LNA came under the control of Marshal
Khalifa Haftar Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, Ḵalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA ...
and the House of Representatives, whose geographical location is in the eastern Libyan city of
Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near t ...
. In 2017, there was no truly unified army or
air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
under the Presidential Council's command, and only the
Libyan Navy Libyan Navy ( ar, قوات البحرية الليبية) is the branch of the Libyan military responsible for naval warfare. Established in November 1962, Libyan Navy has been headed by Admiral Mansour Bader, Chief of Staff of the Libyan Naval F ...
was fully operating under the GNA's control.Serraj appoints military chief of staff
''Libya Herald''. Published 1 September 2017.
The Tripoli government aimed to integrate many different militia groups into a regular command structure,Lewis, Aidan (31 August 2016)
Libyan forces prepare for last push against Islamic State in Sirte
'' Reuters''.
Pro-Karah Office Tipped for Top Military Post
''The Libya Times''. Published 14 March 2018.
and created a
Presidential Guard Presidential Guard may refer to: *President Guard Regiment (Bangladesh) * Presidential Guard Regiment (Turkey) *Presidential Guard (Greece) * Presidential Guard (Belarus) * Presidential Guard (South Vietnam) *President's Own Guard Regiment (Ghana ...
. Prime Minister Sarraj hold the role of supreme commander of the army.PC President forms joint military operations room as war rocks Tripoli yet again
''Libya Observer''. Published 6 April 2019.
The Libyan Army is commanded by the GNA Defense Ministry, which was initially led by Colonel
Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi is a Libyan National Army officer who served as the Minister of Defense in the Libyan Government of National Accord, from January 2016 until July 2018. He is an army commander from eastern Libya who had formerly served under ...
from 2016Ayyub, Sabe
Opposing reactions to appointment of unity government’s defence minister
. ''Libya Herald''. Published 21 January 2016.
until he was removed in July 2018, at which point GNA Prime Minister
Fayez al-Sarraj Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj ( ar, فائز السراج or ; born 20 February 1960) is a Libyan politician who served as the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and Head of Government of the Government of National Accord from 2016 to 2021 ...
took on the role of defense minister. The Chief of the General Staff was Major General Abdel Rahman al-Taweel, from September 2017 until his removal in February 2019, being replaced by Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Shareef.


2017–2018

Since the establishment of the Government of National Accord in 2016 clashes continued to occur between different factions in Tripoli nominally loyal to the new UN-backed unity government, leaving hundreds dead. Khalifa al-Ghawil proclaimed the creation of a new government consisting of the former
General National Congress The General National Congress or General National Council (GNC; ar, المؤتمر الوطني العام, Berber: Agraw Amuran Amatay) was the legislative authority of Libya for two years following the end of the First Libyan Civil War. It ...
. Elements of the Presidential Guard defected to the rebels and took over key buildings in the capital. Pro-GNA forces eventually were able to defeat the GNC coup attempt. Around mid-2017, militias allied to the GNA fully secured the capital. In August 2018 fighting broke out between different groups in Tripoli that were all nominally subordinated to the GNA's defense ministry, forcing Prime Minister Sarraj to call in other militias from different towns outside the capital. A unit called the 7th Brigade had rebelled, leading to its dissolution.


2019

On 6 April 2019, a joint operations room was formed in response to
Khalifa Haftar Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, Ḵalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA ...
's attack on Tripoli to coordinate their military forces. It is led by Western military zone commander
Osama al-Juwaili Major General Osama al-Juwaili ( ar, أسامة الجويلي) is a Libyan military officer who served as Minister of Defence in the government of Abdurrahim El-Keib, Libya's interim Prime Minister. Since the formation of the Government of Nation ...
and includes the heads of the Tripoli and Central military zones, the Counter-Terrorism Force, and representatives from the Presidential Guard and Military Intelligence Bureau. In response to a common interest in defending Tripoli against the LNA, the armed militias that in mid 2019 composed the armed forces of the GNA coordinated with one another mainly by agreement among armed group commanders rather than by the official command structure. The militias remained mostly autonomous in decision-making while formally being integrated into the GNA chain of command. Lacher Wolfram, writing in a ''Security Assessment in North Africa'' publication, described this as "bottom-up integration" and a "remarkable development" that "could potentially serve as a starting point for the creation of properly integrated forces ...
ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediate ...
loyalty to a unified command structure".


Military zones

On 1 June 2017, the GNA announced the creation of seven military zones throughout Libya. They include Tripoli,
Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghaz ...
,
Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near t ...
, Sabha (Southern), Kufra, Central (from
Misrata Misrata ( ; also spelled Misurata or Misratah; ar, مصراتة, Miṣrāta ) is a city in the Misrata District in northwestern Libya, situated to the east of Tripoli and west of Benghazi on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. With ...
to
Zuwetina Zuwetina ( Marsa Uasili; ar, الزويتينة) is a coastal town and oil-exporting port in the Al Wahat District of the Cyrenaica region in north-eastern Libya. From 1987 to 2007 Zuwetina was in the former Ajdabiya District. The oil terminal ...
), and Western (west of Tripoli to Jebel Nafusa) . The commanders of each zone were responsible for training and preparation of the forces in their area and answered to the Libyan army chief of staff. Not all of the territories accounted for were under the GNA's control at the time. The leaders of the military zones are as follows. *Tripoli: Maj. Gen. Abdel Basset Marwan (from 14 March 2018) – Militia leader from Tripoli. *Western: Maj. Gen.
Osama al-Juwaili Major General Osama al-Juwaili ( ar, أسامة الجويلي) is a Libyan military officer who served as Minister of Defence in the government of Abdurrahim El-Keib, Libya's interim Prime Minister. Since the formation of the Government of Nation ...
(from 4 June 2017) –
Zintan Zintan ( ar, الزنتان Latin: Tentheos, Berber language: ''Zintan'' or ''Tigharmin'' or ''Tiɣaṛmin'', meaning "small castles") is one of the biggest cities in north western Libya, situated roughly southwest of Tripoli, in the area. The ...
military council leader.PC appoints military commanders
''Libya Herald''. Published 4 June 2017.
*Central: Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Haddad (from 4 June 2017) – Halbous Brigade leader from Misrata. *Southern (Sabha): Ali Kanna (from 6 February 2019) – Tuareg militia leader.Fayez al-Sarraj parleys with some Libyan military commanders
PanaPress PanaPress or Pana or PanAfrican News Agency is an African news agency. It has its headquarters in Dakar, Senegal. It was founded on 20 July 1979 in Addis Ababa by the OAU and was relaunched by UNESCO in 1993. It provides news in English, French, ...
. Published 4 March 2019.
*Kufra: Brig. Belgasim al-Abaj – tribal leader from Kufra.


Known units

*
Tripoli Protection Force The Tripoli Protection Force is a militia that was formed from the merger of four pro- Libyan Army Libyan militias on 18 December 2018. Groups involved in the merger include: the Tripoli Brigade, the Abusleem Deterence and Rapid Intervention Fo ...
*
Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries The Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries ( ar, مجلس شورى ثوار بنغازي, ''Majlis Shura Thuwar Benghazi'') is a military coalition in Benghazi composed of Islamist and jihadist militias, including Ansar al-Sharia, Libya Shie ...
*
Libya Shield Force The Libya Shield Force is an armed organisation formed in 2012 out of anti-Gaddafi armed groups spread throughout Libya. The Libyan parliament designated much of the Libya Shield Force as terrorist and elements of the Libya Shield Force were ide ...
*
Petroleum Facilities Guard The Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG; Arabic: حرس المنشآت النفطية) is a Libyan oil company and militia led by Idris Bukhamada. Established in October 2012, it took control of the main oil export terminals in eastern Libya in the ...
* Tuareg militias in Fezzan *Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade *Abu Saleem Central Security Force * Omar Mukhtar force: 2000
Syrian National Army The Syrian National Army (SNA) ( ar, الجيش الوطني السوري, al-Jayš al-Waṭanī as-Sūrī), previously the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian oppo ...
mercenaries funded at per month arriving in December 2019/January 2020; 650 arrived in Libya by 29 December and deployed to frontline positions in East Tripoli. *Turkish military advisory personnel: 35


Allies

One of the GNA main allies is Turkey. Turkey had deployed weapons and equipment to GNA trups even before the Government of National Accord (GNA) requested Turkish military support in December 2019. Turkey's engagement for the GNA is linked to its broader strategic interests in the Eastern Mediterranean: in November, Turkey and GNA leader Fayez al-Serraj signed a defense cooperation deal. At the same time GNA and Turkey agreed one on maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey is locked in a dispute with regional rivals Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel over access to sea regions rich in natural gas.


Equipment


Weapons


Artillery


Vehicles

* Main battle tank ** T-54/T-55 (210 in service) **
T-62 The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank that was first introduced in 1961. As a further development of the T-55 series, the T-62 retained many similar design elements of its predecessor including low profile and thick turret armour. In contras ...
** T-72 ** M60 Patton * Infantry fighting vehicle **
BMP-1 The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle, in service 1966–present. BMP stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1'' (russian: link=no, Боевая Машина Пехоты 1; БМП-1), meaning "infantry fighting ...
(740 in service) **
BMP-3 The BMP-3 is a Soviet and Russian infantry fighting vehicle, successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The abbreviation BMP stands for ''boevaya mashina pehoty'' (, literally "infantry combat vehicle"). Production history The design of the BMP-3 ('' ...
(At least 50 in service) ** FNSS ACV-15 (50+ in service) ** M113 (70+ in service) ** FNSS PARS 8X8 * Armored cars **
BRDM-2 The BRDM-2 (''Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina'', Боевая Разведывательная Дозорная Машина, literally "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle") is an amphibious armoured scout car used by states that we ...
(350 in service) ** EE-9 Cascavel (70 in service) *Armoured personnel carrier **
EE-11 Urutu The EE-11 Urutu is a Brazilian amphibious armored personnel carrier. It was based on the drive train and chassis components of the EE-9 Cascavel armored car and initially emerged as part of a project to develop an amphibious troop-carrying counter ...
** OT-64 SKOT ** BMC Kirpi ** BMC Vuran **
BTR-60 The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen in public for the first time in 1961. BTR stands for ''Bron ...
(540 in service) ** Streit Cougar ** Streit Typhoon *Military trucks **
Mercedes-Benz NG The "New Generation“ is a series of trucks by Daimler-Benz built from 1973 to 1988. It was then replaced by the Mercedes-Benz SK series (Schwere Klasse, "heavy series"). With the "New Generation", Daimler-Benz expanded its market position in th ...
(6×6) * Pickup trucks **Toyota Landcruiser J79 ** Toyota Hilux **Armored Ford F350 Gun Truck **
Mitsubishi L200 The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
*SUVs **
Toyota Land Cruiser The (also sometimes spelled as LandCruiser) is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than ...
**
Lexus LX570 The is a full-size luxury SUV sold by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota since January 1996, having entered manufacturing in November 1995. It is Lexus' largest and most expensive luxury SUV. Four generations have been produced, all based heavil ...


References


Further reading

* {{Military of Libya Military of Libya