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Libyan Army Announces Launching New Battalion for ‘Rapid Intervention’

Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Reuters
Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Reuters
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Libyan Army Announces Launching New Battalion for ‘Rapid Intervention’

Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Reuters
Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Reuters

The Libyan National Army (LNA) announced the establishment of a new battalion under the name of "rapid intervention" but did not specify its functions.

The army also continued to demine the city of Benghazi, east the country, and remove the corps of extremists after announcing its full control over the city last week.

Marshal Khalifa Haftar issued a decision on Monday to establish the battalion and appoint Lieutenant Colonel Emad al-Zwei as its commander, and he said it should follow the National Army's "control body.”

The decision did not specify the nature of the battalion and its tasks, but military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that it comes within the framework of the army's readiness to move towards other Libyan cities to continue its operations to free them from the grip of extremist groups.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Red Crescent has recovered 17 corps of terrorists, who were killed during the army's battles to free the areas of Sidi Ekhrebish and the Benghazi’s municipal hotel.

Spokesman for the LNA special forces Colonel Miloud al-Zwei said that the city of Benghazi is already under control of the army, pointing out that one of the terrorists committed suicide Sunday evening in the Qawarsha area west of the city.

He said the Special Forces asked the terrorist to turn himself in voluntarily, but he resorted to bombing himself.

The death toll from booby traps and landmines planted by terrorists in Benghazi has amounted to 197 military and civilian personnel over the past year while 27 experts have been killed in an attempt to demine some areas of the clashes, according to a statistic presented by a military official on Monday.

Abdul Salam al-Massmari, commander of the military engineering faction of the army, said that the army’s general command issued instructions to launch an awareness campaign through the publication of posters and guidelines in the areas that were liberated from ISIS.

Army forces began a large-scale sweep of the fighting areas days after the army declared full control of Benghazi, knowing that Haftar has announced the liberation of the city in July after three years of fierce fighting.

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Sudan War Intensifies Across Kordofan’s Three States

War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
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Sudan War Intensifies Across Kordofan’s Three States

War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)

Fighting between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has flared in the central Kordofan region, home to some of the country’s largest oil fields, including Heglig, Abu Jabra, and Balila.

The city of El-Obeid, the region’s largest urban center and capital of North Kordofan, was hit by drone strikes early Monday, triggering panic among residents. Multiple sites were targeted in the attack, which comes amid escalating clashes and troop build-ups across the region’s three states.

Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that drones struck the eastern neighborhood of Al-Radeef, wounding several civilians. One source said a drone was spotted flying over the Sudanese army’s 5th Infantry Division.

The battlefront shifted westward to Kordofan following the army’s full takeover of the capital Khartoum, where the conflict had raged since breaking out more than two years ago. Now, the three Kordofan states, North, South and West, are the focus of renewed violence as both parties vie for control.

The RSF has stepped up its offensive in Sudan’s North Kordofan, targeting the strategic city of El-Obeid with drone strikes as part of a broader push following the withdrawal of army troops and allied forces from nearby towns, including Al-Khuwei, Al-Debeibat and Al-Hammadi.

The RSF’s maneuvers have allowed it to surround El-Obeid from three directions, exposing significant vulnerabilities in the army’s air defense systems. The latest attack underscores the RSF’s increasing reliance on combat drones, which have been deployed in several battles across the Kordofan region in recent weeks.

Military sources said the nearest RSF-controlled area is the town of Bara, less than 50 kilometers northeast of El-Obeid. The paramilitary group is also reported to have a strong presence in Al-Khuwei, Al-Hammadi, and Kazgeil, all located near the embattled city.

In West Kordofan, fierce clashes continue in the town of Babanusa, where the Sudanese army’s 22nd Infantry Division is headquartered. The division has lost control of three key garrisons in Al-Nuhud, Al-Fula, and the oil-rich area of Heglig amid the RSF’s westward advances.

The RSF said on Monday it now controls the entire town of Babanusa in West Kordofan and is encircling the 22nd Infantry Division from multiple directions, claiming the fall of the strategic town is “only a matter of time.”

Babanusa lies along the key Western Salvation Road, a vital artery linking the capital Khartoum to the Kordofan and Darfur regions. Control of the route has become a major objective for both sides: the army views it as a pathway for advancing into Darfur, while the RSF sees it as a forward defensive line and potential springboard for a renewed push on Khartoum.

West Kordofan, which borders South Sudan and contains most of Sudan’s oil fields, has emerged as one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the war. The state includes around 15 localities and has seen intensifying combat as both sides vie for control of critical infrastructure and territory.

Meanwhile, the army is attempting to drive the RSF out of northern and southern pockets of the state to lift the siege on South Kordofan.

In South Kordofan, clashes have intensified between the army, the RSF, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The army briefly regained control of the towns of Al-Debeibat and Al-Hammadi in an effort to relieve pressure on Dilling and Kadugli, but the RSF later retook the areas, prolonging the deadlock in the region.

Sudanese army forces are fending off ongoing attempts by the RSF to storm El-Fasher, the largest city in the Darfur region, a senior military official said.

Major General Mohamed Ahmed Al-Khader, commander of the army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the military has been repelling RSF assaults on the city for over a year.

Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that army units have launched targeted operations around El-Fasher to push back RSF fighters from the city’s outskirts.