106th Brigade (Libya)
Military unit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 106th Brigade (or Awlia Aldem, Arabic: Ø£ÙÙÙØ¡ اÙد٠)[1][2] is a military unit of the Libyan National Army, loyal to Field marshal Khalifa Haftar. It was established as a brigade in 2018.
| 106th Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 2018 |
| Country |  Libya |
| Allegiance | House of Representatives |
| Branch | Libyan National Army |
| Size | Brigade |
| Engagements | Battle of Derna (2018â2019) Western Libya campaign (2019) |
History
The 106th Battalion was created in 2016, from militias serving as Haftar's personal guard in 2014. It became the 106th Brigade in 2018, through incorporation of various other units.[3][4]
The 106th Battalion first saw combat in the 2018 Battle of Derna.[4][5]
The brigade participated in the capture of Sabha in January 2019.[6] It fought in the failed Tripoli offensive, beginning hostilities on the night of April 4 by seizing a checkpoint between Tripoli and Zawiya.[7] The brigade then performed poorly in the offensive around Zawiya.[3] Many of the brigade's soldiers were captured by the Government of National Accord forces.[4][5]
On 17 July 2019, according to witnesses cited by The Independent and a family member cited by CNN, 25â30 masked, uniformed 106th Brigade members abducted member of the Libyan House of Representatives Seham Sergiwa in Benghazi.[1][2]
In May 2022, the 106th Brigade was deployed to the ChadâLibya border.[8][9]
Commander
Equipment and fighters
Due to its link with Haftar's family, the Brigade has received much modern equipment,[3][7] such as Emirati Nimr and Jordanian Al-Wahsh APCs, and Kornet ATGM.[5] It also received TAG Terrier LT-79 APCs in December 2019.[11]
The Brigade is more professional than previous units of the LNA.[5] The brigade received officers from the new NLA military academy.[3] However, the induction of poorly trained recruits in 2019 reduced the military potential of the brigade.[5]