Libya Shield 1 was an Islamist armed group in

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

and eastern

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. It is nominally part of the Libya Shield Force and is a member of the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries.

History

The Libyan Ministry of Defense, under decision No. 29, formed and named Libya Shield Forces on 3 August 2012. Decision No. 29 states, "A brigade shall be formed in the Central Region of Libya and is to be called Libya Shield – The forces of the Central Brigade shall consist, in general, of rebels from the following regions, Misrata, Sirte, Jafra, Bani Walid, Terhuna, Alkhmuss, Mslath and Zliten. Colonel Mohammed Ibrahim Moussa shall be the commander of the brigade and shall be stationed in Misrata." This decision was signed by the Libya Minister of Defense, Osama Abdulsalam Aljuli bearing the name Libya Shield Forces.

Organization

The Libya Shield Force is nominally divided into three main brigades in eastern, central and western Libya to carry out law and order and combat tasks. Libya Shield 1 was part of the Eastern region of the force. On social media, reactions to the group are favourable across Libya in comparison to other militias, particularly over its charitable work. Another Benghazi unit, Shield 2, is considered more sympathetic to the federalists. The force reports to the Libyan defense ministry under the command of Wisam Bin Ahmid (or Humid), who commanded a

brigade called ''Free Libya Martyrs''.

References

{{reflist Jihadist groups in Libya National Liberation Army (Libya)