Military units from Libya’s competing governments worked side-by-side Tuesday during American special forces training exercises in Sirte, marking an unprecedented collaboration between the former civil war opponents.
The North African nation has remained fractured since civil conflict erupted in 2014, following the 2011 revolution that toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The discord reached its peak during 2019-2020 when eastern-based military leader Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army launched an unsuccessful campaign to capture Tripoli, the western capital.
However, relations between the rival factions have significantly improved recently. Just last week, both sides reached agreement on their first shared budget in over ten years, establishing how to distribute the nation’s substantial annual oil income worth billions of dollars.
The special operations training program, called “Flintlock” and organized by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), brought together troops from both Haftar’s eastern-based Libyan National Army and the internationally recognized Government of National Unity headquartered in Tripoli.
During opening ceremonies in Sirte, Saddam Haftar, who serves as deputy commander of the LNA and is the son of Khalifa Haftar, delivered remarks stating the training “reaffirms Libya’s position as a reliable partner in supporting regional and international peace and security.”
According to AFRICOM officials, military personnel from over 30 nations will participate in the exercises, which will continue later this month in Ivory Coast.
The command emphasized Italy’s substantial contribution to organizing and executing the Libyan portion of Flintlock, describing it as a “historic milestone” that advances “the continued development of a unified Libyan military.”
