Libyan Army

Military forces in Libya From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Since the outbreak of the Libyan civil war in 2011, the unified pre-war Gaddafi armed forces dissolved. The pre-war Libyan Army (Arabic: رئاسة الأركان العامة للجيش الليبي) no longer exists.

Active1951
Country Libya
TypeArmy
RoleLand warfare
Quick facts Active, Country ...
Libyan Army
رئاسة الأركان العامة للجيش الليبي
Active1951
Country Libya
TypeArmy
RoleLand warfare
ColorsBlack, red
Commanders
Commander-in ChiefMohamed al-Menfi
Chief of General StaffSalaheddine al-Namroush (acting)[1]
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The Libyan Armed Forces dissolved in the course of the first Libyan civil war from 2011, and after the second civil war, armed groups in Libya are generally divided between the Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, which has a collection of militias, and Khalifa Haftar's "Libyan National Army" in and around Benghazi.[2]

GNA forces have been fighting against various other factions in Libya, including the Islamic State.[3][4] Most of the forces under the Tripoli government's command consist of various militia groups, such as the Tripoli Protection Force, and local factions from cities like Misrata and Zintan.[5][6]

Factions

Libya is divided between the GNA in the west; the LNA in the east; and other factions. The Libyan National Army (LNA) evolved following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. In 2014, the LNA came under the control of Khalifa Haftar and the House of Representatives, whose geographical location is in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk.

In 2017, there was no truly unified army or air force under the Presidential Council's command, and only the Libyan Navy was fully operating under the GNA's control.[7] The Tripoli government aimed to integrate many different militia groups into a regular command structure,[3][8][9] and created a Presidential Guard. Prime Minister Sarraj hold the role of supreme commander of the army.[10] The Libyan Army is commanded by the GNA Defense Ministry, which was initially led by Colonel Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi from 2016[11] until he was removed in July 2018, at which point GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj took on the role of defense minister.[12][6] The Chief of the General Staff was Major General Abdel Rahman al-Taweel,[7] from September 2017 until his removal in February 2019, being replaced by Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Shareef.[13]

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.[14] Elements of the Presidential Guard defected to the rebels and took over key buildings in the capital.[15][16] Pro-GNA forces eventually were able to defeat the GNC coup attempt.[17][18] 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.[6][19]

2019

On 6 April 2019, a joint operations room was formed in response to Khalifa Haftar's attack on Tripoli to coordinate their military forces. It is led by Western military zone commander Osama al-Juwaili 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.[10]

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 ... [with] loyalty to a unified command structure".[20]

Military zones

On 1 June 2017, the GNA announced the creation of seven military zones throughout Libya. They include Tripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk, Sabha (Southern), Kufra, Central (from Misrata to Zuwetina), 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.[21][22][23]

The leaders of the military zones are as follows.

Known units

Allies

One of the GNA's main allies is Turkey. Turkey had deployed weapons and equipment to GNA troops even before the Government of National Accord (GNA) requested Turkish military support in December 2019.[33] 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-Sarraj 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

More information Model, image ...
ModelimagetypeCalibre QuantityOriginNotes
Pistol
TT-33[34] Semi-automatic pistol 7.62×25mm Tokarev  Soviet Union
Makarov PM[35] Semi-automatic pistol 9×18mm Makarov  Soviet Union
Browning Hi-Power[36] Semi-automatic pistol 9×19mm Parabellum  Belgium
Glock 17[citation needed] Automatic Pistol 9×19mm Parabellum  Austria
SAR 9[citation needed] Semi-automatic pistol 9×19mm Parabellum  Turkey
Caracal F Semi-automatic pistol 9x19mm Parabellum  United Arab Emirates Purchased and issued to the Ministry of Interior of Libya staff.[37]
Submachine gun
Heckler & Koch MP5[36] Submachine gun 9×19mm Parabellum  West Germany
FN P90[38] Submachine gun FN 5.7×28mm  Belgium
Shotgun
Benelli M4 Super 90[39][40] Semi-automatic shotgun 12 gauge 1800 Italy An order were delivered prior of the start of the Libyan revolution of 2011, later used by Libyan special forces.
Winchester Model 1200[41] Pump-action shotgun 12 gauge  United States
Battle rifle and assault rifle
MPT-55 Assault rifle 5.56×45mm NATO  Turkey MPT-55K assault rifles supplied by Turkey.[42]
Heckler & Koch G3[43] Battle rifle 7.62×51mm NATO  West Germany
 Turkey
M4A1[44] Carbine 5.56×45mm NATO  United States
M16[44] Assault rifle 5.56×45mm NATO  United States
Heckler & Koch G36[45][46][47][48][49] Assault rifle5.56×45mm NATO600 GermanyG36 (variants KV and E) were legally sold from Egypt in 2003, pressumably used by the Khamis Brigade/Special Forces (although this remains unclear), anti-Gaddafi forces, most notably the Tripoli Brigade, would later capture an unknown number of stockpiled G36 from the Bab al-Azizia armory.
AK-47[50] Assault rifle 7.62×39mm  Soviet Union
AKM[51] Assault rifle 7.62×39mm  Soviet Union
AK-103[52] Assault rifle 7.62×39mm  Russia Formerly used by Gaddafi Loyalists and later captured by anti-Gaddafi forces.
PM md. 63[53] Assault rifle 7.62×39mm  Romania
Zastava M70[36] Assault rifle 7.62×39mm Yugoslavia
Norinco CQ[54] Assault rifle 5.56×45mm NATO  China Chinese unlicensed copy of M16 rifle, used by the National Liberation Army.
Type 65[55] Assault rifle 5.56×45mm NATO Taiwan Taiwanese copy of the M16 rifle
Beretta AR70/90[citation needed] Assault rifle 5.56×45mm NATO  Italy
FN F2000[56][57] Bullpup assault rifle 5.56×45mm NATO 367  Belgium Purchased from FN Herstal in 2008, delivery commenced in 2009, during the Libyan Civil War of 2011, Libyan rebels captured an unknown number of F2000 from Gaddafi loyalists.
FN FAL[36] Battle rifle 7.62×51mm NATO  Belgium
Sniper rifle
Barrett M82[citation needed] Anti-materiel rifle .50 BMG  United States
SVD Dragunov[51] Sniper rifle 7.62×54mmR  Soviet Union
PSL[58] Sniper rifle 7.62×54mmR  Romania Formerly used by anti-Gaddafi forces.
Machine gun
PK[36] General-purpose machine gun 7.62×54mmR  Soviet Union
RPK[34] Light machine gun 7.62×39mm  Soviet Union
RPD[34] Light machine gun 7.62×39mm  Soviet Union
FN Minimi[59][36] Light machine gun 5.56×45mm NATO  Belgium
FN MAG[36] General-purpose machine gun 7.62×51mm NATO  Belgium
M2 Browning[44] Heavy machine gun .50 BMG  United States
DShK[43] Heavy machine gun 12.7×108mm  Soviet Union
Grenade-based weapon
GM-94 Pump-action grenade launcher 43×30mm  Russia Used by anti-Gaddafi forces.[60]
Daewoo K4[61] Automatic grenade launcher 40×53mm  South Korea First export customer
Anti-tank weapons
RPG-7[34] Rocket-propelled grenade launcher 40 mm  Soviet Union Used by both sides durning the Libyan Civil War.
M40[62] Recoilless rifle 105 mm  United States US, Chinese and Iran made variants used.
SPG-9[62] Recoilless rifle 73 mm smoothbore  Soviet Union
9M14 Malyutka[63] Anti-tank guided missile 125 mm  Soviet Union
9K115 Metis Anti-tank guided missile 94 mm  Soviet Union Supplied by Turkey to the GNA.[64]
MILAN Anti-tank guided missile 115 mm  France
 West Germany		 Supplied by Qatar during the 2011 Libyan Civil War.[65]
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Artillery

More information Name, Image ...
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Notes
Rocket artillery
Type 63 multiple rocket launcher 107mm MLRS  China 100+ Libyan miltary stock.
BM-21 Grad 122mm MLRS  Soviet Union 40+ Libyan miltary stock.
T-122 Sakarya[66] 122mm MLRS  Turkey 20+ Supplied by Turkey
Self-propelled howitzer
2S1 Gvozdika 122mm  Soviet Union 20+ Formerly used by Gaddafi forces. Some were captured from the LNA.[67]
Palmaria[68] 155mm  Italy 20+ Gaddafi forces
T-155 Fırtına 155mm  Turkey  South Korea Unknown amount supplied by Turkey.[42]
Towed howitzer
M114 155mm  United States Donated to the Libyan Army by Turkey.[69]
D-30[68] 122mm  Soviet Union 20+ Gaddafi forces
M-46 130mm  Soviet Union 60 Gaddafi forces
Mortar
M1938 120mm  Soviet Union Unknown Used by anti-Gaddafi Forces during the 2011 Libyan Civil War.[70]
Anti-aircraft systems
ZPU 14.5mm Anti-aircraft gun  Soviet Union Used by both sides durning the 2011 Libyan Civil War.[71] Mounted on technicals.[68]
ZU-23-2 23mm Anti-aircraft gun  Soviet Union Mounted on technicals.[68]
ZSU-23-4 23mm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun  Soviet Union Used by both sides durning the 2011 Libyan Civil War.[72]
KORKUT 35mm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun  Turkey Supplied by Turkey.[42]
QW-13 Man-portable air-defense system  China [68]
MIM-23 Hawk Medium-range Surface-to-air missile system  United States Supplied by Turkey.[42]
Hisar O+ Medium-range Surface-to-air missile system  Turkey Supplied by Turkey to replace MIM-23 Hawk.[73]
S-400 missile system Air defence system  Turkey (supplier)

 Russia

 Supplied in small number by turkey[74]
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Vehicles

More information Model, Image ...
Model Image Origin Variant Number Details
Main battle tanks
T-54/T-55[68]  Soviet Union
 Egypt		 T-55A
T-55E		 60+ Libyan miltary stock.
T-62  Soviet Union
 Russia		 T-62M
T-62MV		 30+ Libyan miltary stock.
T-72[68]  Soviet Union T-72
T-72M1		 20+ Libyan miltary stock.
M60 Patton  United States
 Turkey		 M60A1 3 Supplied by Turkey.[42][75]
home made tanks in Zawiya, Libya Libya ? home made from 2015 to fight against Islamic States[76]
Infantry fighting vehicles
BMP-1  Soviet Union Libyan miltary stock.
BMP-2[68]  Soviet Union
Ratel IFV South Africa Republic of South Africa (1961–1994) Ratel 20
Ratel 60		 2 Captured from the LNA.[67]
Armored cars
EE-9 Cascavel Brazil Military dictatorship in Brazil 10+ Libyan miltary stocks.[67]
Armoured personnel carriers
FNSS ACV-15[68]  Turkey ACV-AAPC Purchased from Turkey.[69]
Steyr 4K-7FA[68]  Austria
Mbombe 6[68]  South Africa
KADDB Al-Wahsh[68]  Jordan 5+ Captured from the LNA.[67]
BMC Kirpi[68]  Turkey Kirpi II Purchased from Turkey.[69]
BMC Vuran[68]  Turkey Purchased from Turkey.[69]
Lenco BearCat[68]  United States G3
Nimr[68]  United Arab Emirates Ajban 10+ Captured from the LNA.[67]
STREIT Group Cougar  United Arab Emirates /
 Canada}		 100+ In service across multiple battalions and security forces
STREIT Group Spartan  United Arab Emirates /
 Canada		 100+ in service across multiple battalions and security forces
Panthera T6  United Arab Emirates 3 Captured from the LNA.[67]
Panthera F9  United Arab Emirates /
 Turkey		 1 Captured from the LNA.[67]
HMMWV  United States 30+ Part of a batch of 200 vehicles sent by the US to Libya in 2012. Some were captured from the LNA.[67]
Military engineering vehicles
Centurion AVRE[68]  United Kingdom AVRE 105
Tank destroyers
9P157-2 Khrizantema-S[68]  Russia
Trucks
Toyota Land Cruiser  Japan HZJ 79 Used as technicals.[77]
Iveco Trakker  Italy Trakker 380 40+
KAMAZ  Russia ? 2 Captured from the LNA.[67]
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References

Further reading

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