National Liberation Army (Libya) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids National Liberation Army
جيش التحرير الوطني
Active	March–October 2011
Ideology	Anti-Gaddafism Democracy Pluralism Secularism (allegedly) Islamism (factions)
Allegiance	National Transitional Council
Commander-in-Chief	Abdul Fatah Younis (appointed) † Khalifa Haftar (self-proclaimed)
Defence Minister	Omar al-Hariri (March–May 2011) Jalal al-Digheily (May–October 2011)
Headquarters	Ajdabiya, Libya
Area of operations	Libya
Allies	NATO United States United Kingdom France Egypt Qatar United Arab Emirates Iran
Opponents	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Battles and wars	First Libyan Civil War

The National Liberation Army (NLA), also known as the Free Libyan Army, was a military group in Libya. It was formed during the First Libyan Civil War by soldiers who left the old army and regular people who volunteered. Their main goal was to fight against the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, who was the leader of Libya at the time.

The NLA was connected to the National Transitional Council, which was the group trying to create a new government for Libya. While General Khalifa Haftar said he was the chief commander, the National Transitional Council officially chose Major General Abdul Fatah Younes Al-Obeidi to lead the army.

The NLA trained many fighters in eastern Libya, which was controlled by groups against Gaddafi. They fought in important cities like Benghazi, Misrata, Ajdabiya, and Tripoli. In August 2011, they started the Battle for Tripoli, attacking from the west and also supporting an uprising inside the city.

At first, the NLA had about 3,000 soldiers. At its strongest, it grew to more than 17,000 fighters. They used many weapons captured from abandoned Libyan army bases, including rifles, rocket launchers, and even tanks. The group changed its name from "Free Libyan Army" in May 2011 to show that it was becoming more organized and professional. They used the old Libyan flag from 1951, which became a symbol of the revolt against Gaddafi.

The NLA finally defeated the last of Gaddafi's forces on October 20, 2011, during heavy fighting in Sirte. Muammar Gaddafi was captured and later died. This event effectively ended the Libyan civil war. After the war, the NLA was reorganized into the Libyan National Army.

Building a New Army: 2011 and Beyond
NLA Fighting Groups
Who Supplied the NLA?
Equipment Used by the NLA
See also

Building a New Army: 2011 and Beyond

After the civil war ended in November 2011, the National Transitional Council began to rebuild Libya's military. The new army, called the Libyan National Army, was formed from soldiers who had left Gaddafi's regime and former NLA fighters. Major General Khalifa Haftar was chosen to lead this new army because of his military background and his support for the revolution.

In November 2011, the new Libyan Army had only a few thousand trained soldiers. They worked quickly to train more fighters to help keep peace across the country and prevent different armed groups from acting on their own. The army even helped arrange a ceasefire between fighting groups from Zawiya and Al Maya.

By December 2011, plans were made to bring up to 50,000 former rebel fighters into the new national army and police forces. Countries like France and Turkey agreed to help with training. The long-term goal was to include as many as 200,000 fighters who had fought against Gaddafi during the war. Many former rebels were given jobs in the new army, including in special forces and the navy. The defense minister, Osama al-Juwali, said the idea was to bring "new blood" into the army, which Gaddafi had weakened.

However, building a new army faced challenges. General Yousef Mangoush said in January 2012 that they needed to rebuild military bases destroyed during the conflict. They also had to disarm other armed groups that were not part of the new army. General Khalifa Hifter later said it could take three to five years for Libya to have a strong enough army to protect its borders.

NLA Fighting Groups

It's hard to know exactly how many fighters were in the NLA. Training camps were set up in cities like Benghazi, Bayda, and Ajdabiya, with thousands of men attending. During an advance in March 2011, the opposition force that took Brega and Ra's Lanuf was estimated to have between 500 and 1,000 men. In the Nafusa Mountains alone, there were up to 2,000 rebel fighters.

After being pushed back, the NLA went on the attack again on March 25. They won back cities like Ajdabiya, Brega, and Ra's Lanuf. However, they later had to pull back from some areas. For several months, the main fighting lines were around Brega and Ajdabiya, as well as in Misrata and the Nafusa Mountains.

In late August, rebels in the east finally retook Brega and other cities, moving closer to Sirte. At the same time, rebels in Misrata pushed out of their city and secured nearby towns. Rebels in the Nafusa Mountains took control of most of the western coastline, including Tripoli itself. Each NLA soldier was given an ID card with their photo, name, group name, and blood type.

Some of the known NLA fighting groups, or brigades, included:

Obaida Ibn Jarrah Brigade
Okbah Ibn Nafih Brigade
Omar Mukhtar Brigade – Based in Ajdabiya, with 200 men and 10 trucks.
Ali Hassan al-Jaber Brigade – Originally from Bayda, fought in the Battle of Sirte (2011).
Jabal Martyrs Brigade – Based in Bayda, with 125 men.
Tripoli Martyrs Brigade – Based in Bayda.
Battalion Libya Free – Based in Bayda.
Bayda Martyrs Brigade – Based in Bayda.
Martyrs of Abu Salim – Based in Bayda.
Zawiya Martyrs Brigade – Based in the Nafusa Mountains, trained to take Zawiya.
Shaheed Brigade – Based around Misrata, considered an elite unit.
Misrata Brigade – Originally from Misrata, later based in Tripoli.
Black Brigade – Based around Misrata.
Swehdi Brigade – Based around Misrata.
Al Horia Brigade – Based around Misrata, guarding Tawergha.
Faisal Brigade – Based on the edge of Zliten.
Arise Brigade – Based on the Libyan Coastal Highway between Misrata and Tripoli.
Tripoli Brigade – Originally based in Nalut in the Nafusa Mountains, with 1,300 men. This was an elite unit trained to take Tripoli, where it is now based.
Abu Salim Brigade – From Eastern Libya.
Sabratha Brigade – From the Nafusa Mountains, trained to take Sabratha.
Zuwara Brigade – From the Nafusa Mountains, trained to take Zuwara.
Martyr Wasam Qaliyah brigade – From Western Libya, with up to 300 fighters.
Coastal Brigade – Based on the Libyan Coastal Highway between Zawiya and Tripoli.
Nalut Brigade – Based in Nalut, Nafusa Mountains.
Kabaw Brigade – Based in the Nafusa Mountains, and took Tiji and Badr.
Jadu Brigade – Based in Jadu, with 300 men.
28 May Brigade – Based around Tripoli, made up of Warfalla Tribe Members, trained to take Bani Walid.
Victory Unit – Based on the road between Misrata and Bani Walid.
Desert Shield Brigade – Liberated Sabha.
Zintan Brigade – Fought for Sirte and during the 2011 Nafusa Mountains Campaign.
Fursan Brigade – Based in Tripoli.
Gharyan Brigade – Based in Gharyan.
Kekka Brigade – Based in Tripoli, with 800 fighters.
Lions of the Valley Brigade – Based in Misrata, fought in Sirte.
11th Brigade – Based in and fought in Sirte.
Al-Ghiran Brigade – Based in Sirte and Misrata, involved in the capture of Muammar Gaddafi.
Khaled bin al-Waleed Brigade - Based in Zintan, involved in the capture of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
Sabha Martyrs of Libya Brigade - Based near Sabha, claimed to be involved in the capture of Abdullah Senussi.

Who Supplied the NLA?

Several countries provided support to the National Liberation Army:

– Egypt reportedly supplied the rebels with small arms like assault rifles and ammunition.
– France confirmed sending arms to rebels in the Nafusa Mountains, including rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, guns, and ammunition.
– Unofficially, the Polish government was reported to have supplied anti-tank rocket launchers and military vehicles.
– Qatar supplied various weapons, including anti-tank systems and AK-47 rifles, as well as camouflage and armored vests.
– Sudan supplied fighters in several areas with supplies, ammunition, and weapons like FN-FAL and AK-47 assault rifles.
– The UAE reportedly supplied Belgian FN-FAL rifles and helped with telecommunication networks.
– The UK supplied communication equipment and body armor to help the NLA become more organized.
– The US provided $25 million in medical supplies, radios, and other aid, but not weapons.

Equipment Used by the NLA

A tank captured from Gaddafi loyalists in Benghazi, used by the NLA.

The National Liberation Army got most of its equipment from abandoned army bases, Libyan soldiers who joined their side, and supplies from countries like Egypt, France, Qatar, and the United States. While the exact list of all equipment used is not fully known, reports from journalists showed that the NLA used a variety of weapons and vehicles.

Clothing

Camouflage clothing was provided by Qatar. Fighters were also seen wearing military uniforms.

Small Arms

The NLA used many types of pistols, shotguns, and submachine guns. They also had various carbines and rifles, including well-known models like the AK-47 and FN FAL assault rifles. Sniper rifles like the Dragunov SVD were also in use.

Machine Guns and Cannons

For heavier firepower, the NLA used different types of machine guns, including light, general-purpose, and heavy machine guns. Many of these were mounted on vehicles. They also used anti-aircraft guns, some of which were taken from planes and mounted on trucks.

Rocket and Missile Systems

The NLA used shoulder-launched anti-tank rocket launchers like the RPG-7 and anti-tank missiles like the MILAN. They also had portable air-defense systems. Larger rocket launchers, like those from the BM-21 Grad, were sometimes taken apart and mounted on vehicles.

Vehicles

The NLA used a range of military vehicles, often captured from Gaddafi's forces:

Tanks: They had T-55, T-62, and T-72 main battle tanks.
Artillery: This included self-propelled artillery and towed howitzers.
Armored Vehicles: They used BMP-1 Infantry fighting vehicles and BTR-60 Armored personnel carriers.
Other Vehicles: Many regular pickup trucks, known as "Technicals," were fitted with machine guns and cannons. They also received Humvees from the U.S. Army.

Aircraft

The NLA also had a small air force, known as the Free Libyan Air Force, which included:

MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighter jets.
Soko G-2 ground-attack aircraft.
Helicopters like the Mil Mi-2 and Mil Mi-24 (attack helicopters).
They even had a small Aeryon Scout Micro UAV.

Ships

The Free Libyan Navy had a few ships:

One Koni class frigate (the Al-Hani).
One Nanuchka class corvette (the Tariq Ibn Ziyaad).
Two Natya class minesweepers.