Libya’s National Army (LNA) has expanded its military operations in the southern border region as part of ongoing efforts to secure the country’s frontiers and dismantle cross-border criminal networks.
In a statement released Thursday, the War Information Division of the Libyan National Army (LNA) announced that the 676th Infantry Battalion, operating under the Ground Forces Command, had successfully launched a large-scale security sweep in the Tibesti Mountains, a remote and rugged area along Libya’s southern border.
The army confirmed that its desert patrol units had seized control of several key locations previously used by armed criminal groups involved in smuggling and other illegal activities. These groups were using the difficult mountainous terrain as hideouts for trafficking operations, posing a direct threat to Libya’s national security.
The LNA emphasized that this operation was carried out under direct orders from Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, General Commander of the Libyan National Army. It forms part of a broader campaign aimed at securing the entirety of Libya’s southern borders, combating smuggling operations, curbing cross-border crimes, and protecting Libya’s sovereignty in vulnerable areas.
The military stressed that such proactive operations are essential to eliminating threats posed by cross-border gangs, which frequently engage in arms trafficking, drug smuggling, and human trafficking in the vast desert regions of southern Libya.
According to the statement, the army remains fully committed to maintaining a permanent presence in the area and continuing security operations to prevent criminal elements from re-establishing footholds along the southern frontier.
The Tibesti Mountains, located near Libya’s borders with Chad and Niger, have long been considered a hotspot for organized smuggling and cross-border crime. This latest military operation signals Libya’s renewed determination to restore law and order in the region and to prevent armed groups from exploiting the country’s remote borderlands.
The LNA said operations would continue in the coming weeks to reinforce border security and ensure long-term stability in southern Libya.
