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Libyan Arab Armed
Forces (LAAF)
This webpage is 'a work in
progress' and developed solely from online
sources. The information on this page may be obsolete and also
incomplete.
The timeline from 2011 to the current period has seen many
changes to
the organizational structure of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces.
The major military organization in the east is the Libya Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), sometimes called the Libyan National Army (LNA). It was formed by Khalifa Haftar in 2014 from a loose alliance of armed groups. Since 2014 he has consolidated his control over the militias and security organizations in eastern Libya and has effectively become the strongman of the eastern Libya regime as the commander of the LAAF (or LNA).
Haftar's six sons contribute to his control of east Libya society, the majority of them firmly entrenched in leadership positions in the LAAF. In addition to the LAAF, his sons have significant control or influence on the financial institutions and political bodies of eastern Libya.
In 2019, the LNA's army was composed of about 7,000 regular soldiers. Online sources in 2020 state that the strength of the LNA was closer to 20,000. 4. It was also augmented by over 18,000 Salafist militants, Sudanese, Chadian, Syrian, and Russian mercenaries. The LNA Air Force is consisted of aircraft and personnel from the former Libyan Air Force under Colonel Muammar Qadaffi.
Al-Saiqa 'Special Forces'. An elite army unit with a mixture of paratroopers and commandos. The unit is also known as the "Thunderbolt Special Forces". It existed under the Qadaffi regime but revolted against the regime in 2011. Currently, there are several brigades in al-Saiqa.
Tareq Bin Zayed Brigade (TBZ). This brigade sized organization is closely affilitated with Russian paramilitary groups. It is a shadowy armed group and has been accused of forcibly returning refugees on boats in the Mediterranean to Libyan shores. The group is funded and equipped by the Libyan National Army (LNA) based in northeastern Libya. 1.
5th Brigade.
6th Brigade. This was one of the largest Awlad Suleiman militias. But it has been split over its alignment with Hafter.
11th Infantry Battalion. In 2024 the 11th Bn was deployed inside the city of Sabha. It, at that time, came under the control of the Southern Operations Force Command.
12th Infantry Brigade. Located in Brak.
32nd Infantry Battalion.
60th Infantry Brigade. Based in the town of Bani Walid, in an area considered a stronghold of the Gaddaffists. The town has always been hostile to the Misrata Brigades. Shortly after the Haftar offensive on Tripoli (2019), the 60th joined the LNA.
73rd Infantry Brigade. Led by Haftar loyalist General Ali Saleh al-Qataani. (2019). This unit was formed in 2018 by amalgamating 11 pre-existing groups, formed principally aroung Battalion 276. 2. (pg 20) In December 2022, the 73rd Brigade deployed to Murzuq in an operation to secure Libya's southern border.
106th Brigade. This unit, also known as the Awlia Aldem, has strong ties to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar - a former commander. The unit saw combat action during the 2018 Battle of Derna, the battle for Tripoli in 2019, and in recent deployments to the Chad-Libya border region. It was formally established as a battalion in 2016 but eventually grew to its current brigade size with numerous battalions, most of them mechanized. In early 2019, the brigade was led by Khaled, son of Khalifa Haftar. In mid-2019, some online sources say that the brigade's commander was Salim Rahil.
Some of its sub-units include: 2. (pg 20)
Battalion 101
Battalion 106
Battalion 123
Battalion 126
Battalion 155 (see below)
Battalion 192
Battalion 208
Battalion 214 Tanks
Battalion 270
Battalion 322 Artillery
155th Battalion. This battalion, headed by Haftar's cousin Basem al-Buasishi (as of 2018), participated in the battle of Darna in the spring of 2018.
116th Battalion. The leader was Massoud Jiddu (or Jeddi) (Aug 2019), a Gadaffi-era officer. The majority of the fighters in this unit come from the Awlad Suleiman tribe. The unit is based in the Sebha region, but has taken part in actions closer to Tripoli. It was orginially called the Sebha SDF, but in 2017, became aligned with Haftar and was renamed the 116th Battalion.
128th Brigade. This brigade (orginally a battalion) is based in southwest Libya and is part of the LAAF. The 128th Brigade is considered to be semi-independent of the LAAF yet firmly in the eastern regimes camp. At one time it was led by Hassan Ma'tuq al-Zadma, a southerner from the Awlad Suleiman tribe. It had many Mahamid members. It has about 15 company-sized units spread throughout the southwest of Libya. Starting out as a battalion, it later became a brigade after absorbing several smaller units. Al-Zadma's brother, Salem, is wealthy and well-connected to the UAE which has resulted in UAE support for the 128th Brigade.
152nd Brigade. This force has the principle duty of patrolling the Libyan-Egytian border - a distance of hundreds of kilometers. It conducts frequent anti-smuggling missions. The brigade has many professional soldiers that fought alongside Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. But it is also populated with many fighters from tribes in eastern Libya. The unit is headquartered in Benghazi and was once commanded by Saddam Haftar, the son of Khalifa Haftar. As of 2024 it was under the command of Major General Tariq bin Ziyad Al-Mouzaz.
166th Battalion. This battalion was led by Haftar's nephew Ayub Busaif al-Firjani (2018). The unit benefits from preferential access to revenue and military support. Some online sources refer to this unit as a brigade.
173rd Battalion. This battalion, formerly supporting the GNU led by Haroun Sassi, defected to the LNA in 2024. It went through some retraining and was integrated into the 173rd Battalion. There are conflicting reports on its current alignment between east and west Libya.
210th Battalion. This battalion was deployed to central Libya in the 2017-2018 timeframe. It has a Salafist lean.
222nd Tank Battalion. This battalion, the 222nd Tank Battalion of the LNA, is equipped with T-72 tanks with night vision devices.
302nd Battalion. This battalion was deployed in central Libya in the 2017-2018 timeframe and leans to the Salafist ideology. Some online sources say that it is now part of the Saeqa Special Forces. 3.
309th Brigade Mechanized Infantry.
604th Battalion. A Salafist-leaning unit, it has historically been based in Sirte and recruits from the Firjan - Haftar's tribe. Prior to January 2020, the 604th was associated with the western regime, but flipped to Haftar's side.
No Longer Constituted
9th Brigade. Formerly the 7th Brigade based in Tarhuna (southeast of Tripoli) and part of the Presidential Guard. It later allied with the Haftar regime and was renamed the 9th Brigade. It was led by the Kani brothers and the unit was associated with human rights abuses against elements of the civilian population of Tarhuna. From 2015 to 2020 the Kaniyat militia in Tarhuna had succeeded in centralizing control over the Tarhuna region. This unit no longer exists, having been defeated during the 2019-2020 conflict for Tripoli during its alliance with Haftar. After its defeat, Its fighters were integrated into several units of the LAAF.
References on Forces in Eastern Libya
Libyan National Army (LNA) - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_National_Army
This component of Libya's military forces that are under the
command of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya.
The Libyan Arab Armed Forces, Chatham House, by
Tim Eaton, 2 June
2021, PDF, 43 pages.
https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/2021-05-28-libyan-arab-armed-forces-eaton.pdf
A Most Irregular Army: The Rise of Kahlifa Haftar's Libyan
Arab Armed Forces, by Wolfram Lacher, German Institute for
International and Security Affairs, 2020.
PDF, 32 pages.
Exploring Armed Groups in Libya, A report on perspectives of security sector reform in a hybrid environment, Emadeddin Badi, Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, 2020, PDF, 104 pages. Document.
News Reports on the LAAF
"Armed Groups in Benghazi: Unraveling the Complex Tapestry", by Jawhar Farhat, Libya Tribune, June 6, 2024.
"Libya's Armed Group Catch-22", The Washington Institute, February 15, 2024.
"A Most Irregular Army: The Rise of Hatar's Forces", by Wolfram Lacher, Libya Tribune, December 13, 2020. See also a 32-page paper (PDF) by Lacher with the same title published by the German Institute for International Security Affairs in November 2020.
*****
Endnotes
1. "European powers allow shadowy Libyan group to return refugees", Alazeera, December 11, 2023.
2. The Libyan Arab Armed Forces, Chatham House, by
Tim Eaton, 2 June
2021, PDF, 43 pages.
https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/2021-05-28-libyan-arab-armed-forces-eaton.pdf
3. Page 18, "A Most Irregular Army: The Rise of Hatar's Forces", by Wolfram Lacher, a 32-page paper (PDF) published by the German Institute for International Security Affairs in November 2020.
4. Estimates of the "order of battle (OB)" of the Libyan National Army vary from source to source. Some 'militias' are counted by some sources; while others leave the militia numbers out of the total tally.
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TBZ Brigade
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