Haftar Replaces Military Commander in Sabha following Reports of Foreign Mercenaries

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Libyan National Accord Government, pose for a photo during a meeting in Istanbul, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (Kayhan Ozer/Pool Photo via AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Libyan National Accord Government, pose for a photo during a meeting in Istanbul, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (Kayhan Ozer/Pool Photo via AP)
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Haftar Replaces Military Commander in Sabha following Reports of Foreign Mercenaries

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Libyan National Accord Government, pose for a photo during a meeting in Istanbul, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (Kayhan Ozer/Pool Photo via AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Libyan National Accord Government, pose for a photo during a meeting in Istanbul, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. (Kayhan Ozer/Pool Photo via AP)

The Commander of the Libyan army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, unexpectedly replaced the military chief in the southern city of Sabha on Sunday, amid conflicting reports of “foreign mercenaries” controlling the city's airport, which has witnessed intense fighting between armed groups, including mercenaries from Chad and Sudan.

A statement by Haftar’s office said that Brigadier Khalifa Abdul Hafiz Khalifa was appointed as the chief of the sixth infantry brigade in the city of Sabha, replacing Brigadier Ahmeed Al-Ataibi. Haftar did not elaborate on the circumstances of his decision, which came amid intermittent clashes in the city for the sixth consecutive day.

According to the mayor of Sabha, Hamed al-Khayali, non-Libyan militants, raising African countries’ flags, took control over the city’s airport. He added that militants were a group of mercenaries from Sudan and Chad, seeking to invade South Libya.

The mayor also said that army headquarters were attacked and some families were forced to leave areas of clashes.

At the political level, the head of the National Accord Government, Fayez Al-Sarraj, underlined the need to commit to the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections under UN supervision before the end of the year.

Following his meeting on Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Sarraj said that building a civil democratic state necessitated comprehensive national reconciliation and the holding of general elections.

The Libyan prime minister highlighted the importance of the return of Turkish companies to help revive the economy and reconstruction in Libya.

Stressing the “historic relations between Libya and Turkey”, Sarraj expressed his appreciation “for Ankara’s support of the path of consensus and the importance attached by the Turkish government to push the political process forward.”

Erdogan, for his part, affirmed his country’s readiness to “contribute to investment and development in Libya.”

An official statement said that the two sides welcomed the outcome of the Turkish-Libyan Conference on Development and Investment, which concluded in Istanbul on Sunday, and discussed the role of Turkish companies in reconstruction and investment, tackling obstacles and mechanisms to develop cooperation in various fields.



Regional Shifts Loom over Larijani’s Talks in Baghdad

Sudani holds talks with Iran’s security chief Larijani in Baghdad Monday (Iraqi premiership)
Sudani holds talks with Iran’s security chief Larijani in Baghdad Monday (Iraqi premiership)
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Regional Shifts Loom over Larijani’s Talks in Baghdad

Sudani holds talks with Iran’s security chief Larijani in Baghdad Monday (Iraqi premiership)
Sudani holds talks with Iran’s security chief Larijani in Baghdad Monday (Iraqi premiership)

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani began a regional tour on Monday with a visit to Baghdad, holding talks with senior Iraqi officials and signing a memorandum of understanding on border security — though Iraq denied the deal amounted to a full security agreement.

Larijani met Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji, President Abdul Latif Rashid, and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The visit included the signing of a memorandum to coordinate border security, which Sudani oversaw.

But an Iraqi security source told Asharq al-Awsat the deal was “only a memorandum of understanding, similar to dozens signed with other countries,” dismissing Larijani’s earlier comments to Iranian media that a formal security agreement had been prepared.

“This visit is not a surprise as some outlets claimed — it was planned in advance,” the source said.

The trip is Larijani’s first official foreign visit since returning to his post and will be followed by a stop in Lebanon.

“We will meet many friends in Iraq from different political currents, listen to their views and share ideas for bilateral cooperation,” Larijani told Iranian media en route to Baghdad.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the “sensitive circumstances” in the region required intensified consultations with regional states to safeguard peace and stability in West Asia.

An Iraqi security source said talks also covered the security situation in the Middle East and arrangements linked to the Arbaeen pilgrimage, which has brought tens of thousands of Iranians to Iraq.

A separate source told Asharq al-Awsat Larijani planned to visit the holy city of Najaf on Monday evening and could meet Grand Ali al-Sistani — though such a meeting was not certain, as Sistani declined to receive Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during his September 2024 visit.

The source declined to say whether Larijani’s trip aimed to ease tensions between Sudani and some armed factions after a recent exchange of statements that unsettled the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shi’ite parties and armed groups. The row coincides with the parliament’s failure to pass legislation on the Popular Mobilization Forces, blamed by lawmakers on US pressure.

Political analysts in Baghdad believe Larijani will meet leaders of armed factions and Coordination Framework figures in an effort to calm disputes, particularly as Iran-aligned groups face what they describe as mounting US pressure that could pave the way for Israeli strikes.

“The timing is crucial for Iran, which appears to be preparing for the possibility of renewed conflict with the United States and Israel,” said Ihsan al-Shammari, head of the Iraqi Political Thinking Center.

“Tehran is seeking to bolster alliances with friendly political forces in Baghdad as Washington pushes to dismantle armed groups and curb Iranian influence in Iraq and Lebanon.”

Shammari said the visit also comes amid “unprecedented public divisions within the Shi’ite political camp” — a development that works against Tehran’s interests and may prompt it to freeze disputes for now. “It’s important for Iran, but less so for Iraq, given the US pressure to end Iranian influence,” he added.

Eiyad al-Anbar, a political science professor at al-Nahrain University, said Tehran was trying to reorganize its influence in its so-called “Axis of Resistance” states.

“Iran wants to signal it still wields strong political and security leverage in Lebanon and Iraq, where the disarmament debate is heating up,” he said.

“By linking the Popular Mobilization Forces to broader political messaging, Iran is telling the outside world: we remain powerful and must be factored into any future arrangement,” added al-Anbar.