The February 17th Martyrs Brigade was called on for assistance by the US government during the 2012 Benghazi attack.[3][4] Despite their call, the agency did not count on the help of the militia, which did not report on the advance of the initial mob that attacked the embassy. The militia adopted the roles of the Libyan state during the attack.[5] Some CIA analysts called it "a mistake" to have trusted an irregular militia which had already stopped patrolling with Western troops in protest against low pay and long working hours, where the security of the American officers was quite poor.[5][6][7]
Following the attack, together with the Bou Salim Martyrs brigade, the February 17th Martyr Brigades allegedly agreed to disband; however, only 150 to 200 militiamen moved from Benghazi to Jebel Akhdar.[8]
In 2014, the militia carried out mortar attacks against some neighborhoods in Benghazi.[9][10][11] On 17 October, the group claimed a suicide car bombing against a checkpoint of a non-governmental militia in Benghazi, killing four people (in addition to the attacker) and wounding one more.[12][9]
In 2015, the brigade was considered to be the largest and best armed militia in eastern Libya. It was financed by the Libyan Defense Ministry. The group continues to carry out "security and law and order" tasks in eastern Libya and the southern region of Kufra.[1][4]
The 17th February Brigade was featured in the 2016 action movie 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
