Saddam Haftar (; born 1991) is a

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 ...

n military officer and politician, serving as the Chief of Staff of the ground forces of the

Libyan National Army The Libyan National Army (LNA; , ''al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii''), also known as the Libyan Arab Army (LAA; , ''al-Jaysh al-'Arabiyy al-Lībii'') or the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF; ), is a component of Libyan Armed Forces, Libya's mil ...

and commander of the

Tariq Ben Zeyad Brigade Tariq Ben Zeyad Brigade (TBZ; ) is a militant organization led by Saddam Haftar, son of Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar. It has been accused of crushing any opposition to his father's LNA since its emergence in 2016. In Decemb ...

. He is the son of

Khalifa Haftar Khalifa Haftar (; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA). In 2015, he was appointed commander of the armed forces loyal to the 2014 Libyan parliam ...

, the commander of the LNA and de facto leader of

eastern Libya Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...

since 2017. He frequently travels abroad to make diplomatic visits to Arab and foreign countries and has been seen as the likely successor to his father.

Early life

Saddam Haftar was born 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 ...

, Libya in 1991, the youngest of seven children of Libyan politician

. His mother raised Haftar and his brothers in Benghazi while his father lived in exile in the United States during the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. Not much is known about Haftar's upbringings, and he has no known secondary school qualifications. He is named after the former president of Iraq

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

Military career

He has been commander of the Tariq Ben Zeyad Brigade since its emergence in 2016, which has been accused of crushing any opposition to his father's Libyan Arab Armed Forces and of terrorizing people by committing "unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, rape and other sexual violence, and forced displacement — with no fear of consequences". He established the 106th Brigade as a praetorian guard to protect his father and keep tribal militias under LAAF control, and with this he succeeded in recapturing Benghazi in December 2017. In December 2016, Saddam Haftar appeared at a military ceremony in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

during the graduation of the students of the Military College, wearing a military uniform. He was granted the ranks of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and then Lieutenant-Colonel in an exceptional promotion granted to him by the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Aguila Saleh. Shortly thereafter, Saddam Haftar was promoted to the rank of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, surpassing

Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until his assassination by Libyan rebel forces in 2011. He came to power ...

himself. In December 2022, Saddam's Tariq Ben Zeyad Brigade was accused by the

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

of "committing war crimes". By May 2023 he held the rank of Brigadier-General.

Finance

Saddam Haftar was injured during clashes in Tripoli in 2012 following a failed attempt to control the Aman bank. Immediately after he recaptured Benghazi in December 2017, Saddam ordered his men to transfer about 160 million Euros, 639 million Libyan dinars, two million US dollars and 6,000 silver coins from the

Central Bank A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mo ...

branch in

to an unknown destination, which has been described as "one of the largest bank heists in history". In December 2022, Saddam Haftar attempted to seize control of banking institutions in

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...

. Saddam's strong control over eastern Libya's banking sector would allow him to finance his forces, equipment and operations. A dual Libyan-American citizen, Saddam, along with his brother Khalid Haftar, owns a total of 17 properties in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

— where he previously lived for years — collectively worth at least $8 million. In February 2020, a lawsuit was filed against Saddam, Khalid, and their father, accusing them of torturing two families to death as members of the LNA, potentially jeopardizing their Virginia properties.

Politics

On 1 November 2021, Saddam Haftar reportedly visited

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

for a secret meeting with

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i officials, allegedly seeking to establish diplomatic relations in return for Israeli "military and diplomatic assistance". It is unknown whom he met there, and Libya and Israel currently have no diplomatic relations. Later that same month, Saddam Haftar allegedly guaranteed the safety of

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi (; born 25 June 1972) is a Libyan political figure. He is the second son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his second wife Safia Farkash. He was a part of his father's inner circle, performing publ ...

and

Bashir Saleh Bashir Saleh Bashir (; born July 24, 1946) is a former aide of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He was head of the Libyan African Portfolio, a sovereign wealth fund that invested Libya's oil wealth mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, and served as a ...

to register themselves as presidential candidates in Sabha. Ten days later, the Tariq Ben Zeyad Brigade, led by Saddam and Khalid, stormed the courthouse in Sabha to prevent judges from hearing Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's appeal to participate in the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

. The gunmen used arms against the staffers and judges and then kicked them out. In January 2023,

pledged to withdraw from the Libyan presidential election on the condition that his sons Saddam and Belqasim are allowed to run. Saddam Haftar is seen as the heir apparent of Khalifa Haftar. On 28 April 2025, Saddam, as the envoy of LNA commander Khalifa Haftar, met in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

with Massad Boulos, senior advisor to U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, and other senior Republican officials, focusing on advancing U.S. interests to achieve "a secure, unified, and prosperous Libya." He possibly agreed to a deal with the United States to deport immigrants from the U.S. to Libya.

Arrest warrant

In August 2024,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

issued an arrest warrant for Saddam Haftar while he was returning to Libya from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, alleging that he was involved in smuggling a shipment of weapons, destined for the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, that was intercepted by Spanish police several months earlier. Various

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

oligarchs began pressuring Spain to nullify its arrest warrant for Saddam Haftar. Saddam Haftar was reportedly detained for questioning at an airport in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

for an hour after his name appeared on a common EU database.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haftar, Saddam 1991 births People of the Libyan civil war (2014–2020) 21st-century military personnel 21st-century Libyan politicians Living people Libyan generals People from Benghazi