DERNA, Libya: The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Marshall Khalifa Haftar and controlling southern and eastern Libya, is conducting what officers describe as its biggest military exercise yet — and a message for both friends and foes.
At the entrance of a sprawling military encampment some 100 kilometers away from Derna, a towering portrait of Haftar overlooked the scene.
The sand whipped across a barren landscape as armored vehicles sped along.
The two-week exercises, which AFP journalists were permitted to observe during a visit over the weekend, will culminate on May 19 to mark the anniversary of the LNA’s 2014 “Operation Dignity” campaign against jihadist groups, including the Islamic State, in Benghazi.
The campaign allowed Haftar’s forces to wrest control over the east and ultimately parts of southern Libya.
