The Libya Shield Force is an armed organisation formed in 2012 out of anti-Gaddafi armed groups spread throughout Libya. The Libyan parliament designated much of the Libya Shield Force as terrorist and elements of the Libya Shield Force were identified as linked to

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

as early as 2012. Since the outbreak of the

Second Libyan Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Second Libyan Civil War , partof = the Arab Winter, Libyan Crisis (2011–present), Libyan Crisis, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, War on terror, and Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomat ...

, the Libya Shield Force has been associated with the

Islamic fundamentalist Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return t ...

side. In 2019, it reportedly aided the

Government of National Accord The Government of National Accord ( ar, حكومة الوفاق الوطني) was an interim government for Libya that was formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement, a United Nations–led initiative, signed on 17 December 2015. Th ...

in defending Tripoli from an LNA offensive.

Branches

The major branches of the Libya Shield Force fighting for Islamists in the current conflict are: *

Libya Shield 1 Libya Shield 1 was an Islamist armed group in Benghazi and eastern Libya. It is nominally part of the Libya Shield Force and is a member of the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries The Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries ( ar, مجل� ...

, now part of the

Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries The Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries ( ar, مجلس شورى ثوار بنغازي, ''Majlis Shura Thuwar Benghazi'') is a military coalition in Benghazi composed of Islamist and jihadist militias, including Ansar al-Sharia, Libya Shield ...

which is designated "terrorist" by the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

*Another Benghazi unit, ''Shield 2'', is considered more sympathetic to the federalists. The force reports to the Libyan defense ministry under the command of Wisam Bin Ahmid (or Humid), who commanded a

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

brigade called ''Free Libya Martyrs''. *The Western Shield, serving the

General National Congress The General National Congress or General National Council (GNC; ar, المؤتمر الوطني العام, Berber: Agraw Amuran Amatay) was the legislative authority of Libya for two years following the end of the First Libyan Civil War. It w ...

. The Western Shield is involved in fighting to the south and west of Tripoli. It is linked to Al-Qaida leader

Abd al-Muhsin Al-Libi Muhsin Al libi (born 1966 or 1969), frequently known as Ibrahim muhsin (also spelt Ibraheem muhsen), is an alleged Libyan Al-Qaeda leader. He is also connected with the alias "Ibrahim Ali Abu Bakr" as well as many other aliases including "Abdalm ...

, also known as Ibrahim Ali Abu Bakr or Ibrahim Tantoush (not to be confused with Abu Anas al Libi). *The Central Shield, serving the General National Congress. The Central Shield was heavily involved in the fighting to capture

Tripoli International Airport Tripoli International Airport () is a closed international airport built to serve Tripoli, the capital city of Libya. The airport is located in the area of Qasr bin Ghashir, from central Tripoli. It used to be the hub for Libyan Airlines, Af ...

. Due to the large number of Misratans, the Central Shield is often identified as Misrata brigades. Officially designated as "terrorists" by the Libyan House of Representatives.

Creation

The Libyan Ministry of Defense, under decision No. 29, formed and named Libya Shield Forces on 8 March 2012. Decision No. 29 states, "A brigade shall be formed in the Central Region of Libya and is to be called Libya Shield – The forces of the Central Brigade shall consist, in general, of rebels from the following regions, Misrata, Sirte, Jafra, Bani Walid, Terhuna, Alkhmuss, Mslath and Zliten. Colonel Mohammed Ibrahim Moussa shall be the commander of the brigade and shall be stationed in Misrata." This decision was signed by the Minister of Defense,

Osama Abdulsalam Aljuli Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated ...

. Thus, the name Libya Shield Forces was first coined by the Libyan Minister of Defense.

References

{{Reflist Military of Libya First Libyan Civil War