- Khalifa Haftar was a military officer in dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s regime forces.
- He took part in the coup that brought Gaddafi to power in 1969.
- He led attack of Gaddafi’s regime forces on Chad in the 80s.
- He was arrested as prisoner of war by Chadian forces in Ouadi Doum battle on March 22, 1987.
- He was later released and moved to the U.S. to become a CIA agent.
- By 1988, Haftar aligned himself with the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, a U.S. supported opposition group.
- In 2011, he returned to Libya to support the uprising against Gaddafi’s regime.
- In February 2014, he appeared on UAE-based Alarabiya TV to announce that the then-elected General National Congress and its government were dissolved.
- He claimed that his forces were in full control of Tripoli.
- Then-Prime Minister Ali Zidan appeared shortly on state TV and refuted his claims and ordered his arrest.
- Then-Defense Minister Abdullah Al-Thanni accused Haftar of attempting to usurp power and ordered his arrest
- In May 2014, he declared his Operation Dignity in Benghazi to fight his foes on the pretext of fighting terrorism.
- The war caused extensive damage to the infrastructure in Benghazi.
- His forces committed several crimes and summary executions of captives.
- His supporters in the eastern region ransacked the polling stations a day after the High Elections Commission announced start of voter registration for 2018 elections
- Now, he is regarded as the main obstacle to peace and stability of Libya because of his ambitions to rule the country militarily.
