Areas in the vicinity of Ghadames city - southwest of Libya - are witnessing security tensions due to the military build-up in the past few days between units affiliated with the General Staff of the Libyan Army in Tripoli and military groups affiliated with Khalifa Haftar.
The area which is located near the border triangle of Libya with Tunisia and Algeria, and about 600 kilometers southwest of Tripoli is experiencing tension and uneasy calm, following noticeable military and security movements by Brigade 444 that is affiliated with the Tripoli Military Zone, and the forces of the commander of the military zone of the Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi, Osama Juweili, who has recently become considered part of Haftar's forces.
The 17th Border Guard Battalion, affiliated with Juweili, had declared a state of general alert on Wednesday, and demanded that all its members arrive at Ghadames Airport, with the aim of confronting the forces of Brigade 444, and preventing them from coming to Ghadames.
Brigade 444 announced that two of its members were injured in an operation to confront smugglers in the border triangle between Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, while sources close to the brigade confirmed that it accused pro-Russian groups of injuring its members and that it was mobilizing its forces to attack their gatherings near Ghadames.
The Minister of Interior of the Government of National Unity, Emad Al-Trabelsi previously pledged to head to the city of Ghadames to secure it, reopen the Dabdab crossing, and stop drug smuggling from Libya to Algeria and the other way around.
