LNA - Al Karamah / Operation Dignity
In May 2014 retired General Khalifa Hifter followed on his failed February 14 coup attempt with a military campaign known as “Operation Dignity” to target extremist forces in Benghazi, independent of any civilian authority. On May 20, Hifter’s public remarks indicated he considered all Islamists, even those not involved in acts of violence, to be legitimate targets of the operation. The scope of Operation Dignity expanded over the following months to include attacks by ground and air forces against extremist forces in Benghazi, including Ansar al-Sharia and its affiliates. Forces involved in Operation Dignity included both legitimate government units led by active officers, such as Special Operations Forces battalions, as well as civilian volunteers and tribal and militia allies.
On 20 October 2014, after previously condemning Hifter in May, the government of Prime Minister al-Thinni formally endorsed Operation Dignity. While casualty numbers were uncertain, reports from the media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) estimated that Hifter’s campaign resulted in hundreds of dead and thousands wounded, including civilians. In August the United Nations reported that in Benghazi, where air strikes and shelling in populated areas were common, violence led to the deaths of at least 37 civilians. The United Nations estimated 15,000 persons fled Benghazi because of the campaign.
Haftar launched Al Karamah (“Operation Dignity”), reportedly to eradicate “radical…terrorist” groups from eastern Libya. Despite having no formal appointment in the Libyan National Army at that time, commanders of several brigades joined him during the first stage of the operation including the Al-Sai’qa Brigades (commando forces) based in Bu’Atni, and the Air Force Brigade. By the second stage of the campaign, launched in October 2014, most of the remaining brigades of the Libyan National Army in the east had joined his forces, including Al-Zawiya Martyrs 21 Brigade based in Qarionis and the 204 Tank Brigade based in Al-Rahba. In addition, a variety of armed groups have also participated in the campaign. On the basis of the information received by OHCHR, this includes, for instance, Awliaa al-Damm and Shabab al-Manteq “Al-Sahawat”.
At least twenty people were killed and almost seventy wounded when a coalition of two different forces -- the nominal Libyan army and forces following a renegade Libyan general -- fought Islamist militants in the eastern city of Benghazi 02 June 2014. Haftar announced two weeks earlier that he wanted to purge the North African state of Islamist militants. He said that the weak government has failed to control the Islamists, so he would use his own forces to do so. In mid-May, armed forces led by former General Khalifa Haftar launched a military operation against militia groups in Benghazi. Led by renegade General Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan warplanes raided Islamist extremists-held pockets in the eastern city of Benghazi, on 06 June 2014.
Haftar's troops, backed by tanks and rocket launchers, attacked several suspected camps of Islamists in western areas of Benghazi on 15 June 2014. At a news conference held outside Benghazi, Haftar praised Egypt's new president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, as the right man for the job. Egypt has cracked down hard on the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which Haftar on Sunday branded as an “international spy network”.
It was not immediately clear who may have been behind the retired general's call to oust Libya's current rulers, but one Arab analyst claimed Egypt and Saudi Arabia may be trying to encourage a more stable government in Libya to stanch the flow of arms across North Africa. Haftar's extended life in the United States and the West's apprehension of fundamentalist groups fueled speculation that the retired general enjoyed covert Western support.
Haftar also accused Qatar of fueling Libya's chaos. “There is no doubt Qatar supports the militias in Libya,” he said. Separately, he told Arabiya television Qatar was hampering the formation of a national army and police force in Libya. Qatar has come under pressure from Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain over its backing for the Muslim Brotherhood.
Haftar said he aims to crush Islamists he accuses of seizing control of the country and he appears to have the support of some militias from the eastern half of the country and the western Zintan region.Haftar, a former rebel in the fight against Gadhafi, appeared to be trying to harness widespread public frustration with the government's impotence, vowing to get rid of extremists and impose an effective authority.
Libya’s internationally recognized government "recalled" retired general, Khalifa Haftar, to army duty 20 January 2015, a move cementing the alliance in a struggle against the rival Islamist administration. The internationally-recognized government and parliament had been forced to operate from the east of the country since the Libya Dawn armed group seized the capital, Tripoli, in the summer of 2014. Haftar is a former general under Gaddafi and one of dozens of commanders of irregular forces, who refused to disarm after the ousting of the former leader in 2011.
By 2016, Russia’s relationship with Hifter had become more than just diplomatic courtesy. This dynamic was a two-way street in which both sides saw beneficial opportunities. Hifter has attempted to secure an arms-transfer deal with the Kremlin. However, the Russian ambassador to Libya was quick to dismiss the speculation. “Unless the Security Council lifts or at least eases the embargo, there can be no talk of Russian weapons deliveries to Libya,” Russian Ambassador Ivan Molotov said in July 2016. Many in Moscow believe that Hifter's vast network of supporters and military power could make him Putin’s point man in Libya.
The year 2016 was a pivotal one for Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA), which made significant strategic gains across the country. “After February 2016, General Haftar has led an impressive campaign from the east,” said Major Mohammed Alboushi of the Libyan National Army and a member of the UN’s Libyan delegation. Between February and April 2016, the LNA drove its opponents out of most of Benghazi, the largest city in the eastern region of the country. In September 2016, Haftar’s LNA launched operation “Swift Thunder” seizing key oil terminals in Zueitnina, Brega, Ras Lanouf and Sidrah.
Es Sidr and Ras Lanuf are among the largest oil ports in the country and had the combined potential capacity of about 600,000 barrels per day (bdp). Libya’s peak production this year was around 700,000 bdp. Consolidating his grip over Libya’s Oil Crescent has caused a rift between Haftar and the UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA). Based in the west around the country’s capital Tripoli, the GNA previously controlled these areas under the supervision of an armed group known as the Petroleum Facilities Guard. Disagreements with the UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA) has stalled the peace process.
Italy signaled in February 2017 it wanted Russia's help to stabilize Libya and bring an end to the migrant crisis. Moscow supported the Libyan army's General Khalifa Haftar, seen as a rival to the UN-backed government in Tripoli. Some European Union states feared Russia had ambitions to extend its influence in Libya, and were reluctant to support Italy's move.
Leader of the self-styled "Libyan National Army" Khalifa Haftar said 06 July 2017 that his forces control Benghazi in what would be a major boost for the group in a country where various militias are vying for power. Gaddafi’s fall in 2011 created a power vacuum, and the country has been turmoil ever since, with various armed groups and vying for power. Haftar has capitalised on this space, slowly extending into southern and eastern Libya.
By July 2017, having laid claim to the largest portion of Libya, Haftar held a major advantage over his arch-rivals in the GNA. His forces had expanded outside their traditional area of operations in eastern Libya, and were also present in the south around al Jawf and al Shwayrif, as well as in the west, on the outskirts of Tripoli. He translated this military superiority into a direct threat of using force to enter the Libyan capital Tripoli.
A force led by Haftar said 21 June 2018 it had recaptured two key oil ports, a week after they were seized by a rival militia in a blow to crucial exports. Armed groups led by militia leader Ibrahim Jadhran on June 14 attacked two eastern oil ports controlled by Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army. Haftar on 21 June 2018 announced an offensive to recapture the terminals after a week of clashes that had damaged vital infrastructure and slashed crude output, the lifeblood of Libya's economy. "Our armed forces have full control of the Ras Lanuf region," LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari said later, adding they had also retaken the Al-Sidra terminal.
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