What is Happening in Libya? Who is Khalifa Haftar?

What is Happening in Libya right now? Libya, Turkey is supporting a government formed under the UN and internationally recognized GNA.

On the other hand, the rebel group led by Khalifa Haftar has the backing of France, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

What is Happening in Libya? Who is Khalifa Haftar, who is being supported by Israel and the United States, and who targeted Al-Watiya Airbase? All this will be covered in this article.

Al-Watiya Air Base

Al-Watia Airbase was safe from Western airstrikes against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, mainly due to the presence of mostly de-commissioned and trainer aircraft at the base, which was not considered a threat at the time. And in one attack, only three of its 43 Hardened bunkers were targeted, including the Mirage F-1BD and SU-22M3 bombers at the time.

Al-Watiya Air Base, also known as Uqba bin Nafi Air Base, is 27 kilometres from the Tunisian border and 125 kilometres from the capital, Tripoli.

Importance of Al-Watiya Air Base

On August 9, 2014, the airbase was captured by Khalifa Haftar’s militia. Spare parts and weapons of Mirage and SU-22 aircraft were present. The defeat severely damaged the ruling coalition’s air force, which has now lost its key source of spare parts. As a result of the occupation of the airbase, the Haftar militia, with the help of spare parts and weapons, made several SU-22s and Mirage F-1s usable between 2014 and 2015. After setting foot on the airbase, the Haftar militia began advancing on the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in April 2019. In June 2019, the coalition claimed to have successfully attacked the base and damaged several Su-22 aircraft, including the runway, but the attack and the success could not be independently verified.

Who is Khalifa Haftar?

Field Marshal Khalifa Bilqasim Haftar was born in November 1943. During Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, he has been the commander of the Libyan National Army in the coastal city of Tobruk. Khalifa Haftar was part of the martial law that brought Muammar Gaddafi to power in 1969 and took part in the 1973 Yom Kippur War against Israel. In 1986, he served as Colonel Chief Commanding Officer, leading the force that attacked Chad. In 1987, he was imprisoned after being caught in a trap in the war against Chad, and his imprisonment not only embarrassed the Gaddafi administration but also dealt a major blow to Muammar Gaddafi’s intentions regarding Chad. During his imprisonment, Haftar and his allies plotted to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi. And in 1988 formally announced a separate military faction called the Libyan National Army. He was released by Chad in a 1990 deal with the United States.

After his release, secularist Khalifa Haftar moved to the United States and lived in the US state of Virginia for two decades. Notably, in 1993 he was granted US citizenship. During his stay in the United States, he was sentenced to death as a fugitive for his actions against the state under Muammar Gaddafi.

In 1996, Haftar tried unsuccessfully to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi in the mountains of eastern Libya and returned to the United States. Khalifa Haftar has five sons and a daughter, two of whom are currently part of the Haftar militia of the Libyan army, while the third son is involved in property work in Libya. Two sons and a daughter are currently living in the United States.

Haftar’s Role in Overthrowing Gaddafi

In 2011, Khalifa Haftar held a senior position in the forces fighting Gaddafi’s government. And they had the full support of Western powers in overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi. In March 2011, an army spokesman said Khalifa Haftar had been elected commander of the army. However, the then National Transitional Council rejected it later in April Abdul Fattah Younis was made the Chief of the Armed Forces.

In the summer of the same year, Abdul Fattah Younis was assassinated, and in November 2011, Khalifa Haftar was appointed Chief of the Libyan Armed Forces. Even after the formation of the new government in 2015, Haftar Kawa remained the head of the army.

In the same year, there were two factions in the army, one with the LNA, Khalifa Haftar, and the other with the internationally recognized GNA, the government under the National Accord.

Recapturing of Al-Watiya Air Base

Government forces, including GNA, liberated Al-Watiya Airbase from the Haftar Group on May 18, 2020, with the help of Turkey. The recapture of this airbase is critical to gaining control of a key strategic site in the western part of the country. The defeat was seen as the beginning of a final setback for Haftar’s forces in western Libya.

That is why France, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have taken action against the Libyan government, the GNA, and Turkey, in support of the Haftar group.

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Following the defeat of Russia’s Wagner military group and the Haftar militia on various fronts, the pro-Haftar coalition began to put pressure on Turkey. Not only the three Arab countries but also France and Russia are intensifying their anti-Turkish activities in Libya. And according to our assessment, they also have American and Israeli support behind them.

Egypt, on the other hand, announced a unilateral ceasefire with Cairo blocking Aguila Saleh and Haftar. When GNA and Turkey refused to do so, Egyptian President Al-Sisi directly warned the GNA. France, meanwhile, has stepped up its rhetoric against Turkey.

Recent Air Strike on Al-Watiya Air Base

According to reports, some planes carried out an airstrike on Al-Watiya Air Base on July 4, injuring some Turkish soldiers, as well as the medium-range air defence system MIM23 Hawk and Coral Electronic deployed to Turkey. Warfare system destroyed.

According to some international and Turkish officials, the attack was carried out by the UAE’s Mirage 2000 aircraft, which may have used Egypt’s Barani airbase near the Egyptian-Libyan border.

However, according to some reports, the attacks may have been carried out by Rafale Fighter Jet, which is used by both Egypt and France, supporters of the Haftar group. ۔

We don’t think it is rocket science to assess the consequences of the destruction of Syria and Libya, the need for an organized and powerful army, and the consequences of putting defence matters behind other matters.

We hope this article gives you a good idea of ​​the recent civil war in Libya and the motives behind it and What is happening in Libya? You may also understand how different countries oppose each other in many respects, but they are allies in this war and who is openly and who is secretly behind whom.

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