Washington calls on the Libyan army to participate in the “African Lion 2024” maneuvers

The electronic newspaper Hespress learned from an official Libyan military source that “the United States of America sent an invitation to the General Staff of the Libyan Army in Tripoli to participate in the African Lion 2024 maneuvers that will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco this month,” adding that “military officials, representatives of the American military command in Africa (AFRICOM) recently conducted a visit to Libya in this regard.”

The source who spoke to Hespress explained that “Libya is keen to be present in such forums, as it seeks to prove its presence and ability to contribute to security efforts in the region, given the great challenges that the North Africa and Maghreb region is witnessing, similar to the outbreak of wars and divisions in several African countries.” And the spread of the mercenaries of the Russian African Legion in many countries of the continent.”

The same military source pointed out that “the state of security fluidity and political division that the Libyan state is experiencing is such that the government in Tripoli seeks, through its military arms, to have a strong presence in such maneuvers in order to contribute to international security efforts to confront the security threats facing the region, such as “The activity of Takfiri and jihadist groups and organized crime gangs has increased.”

It is noteworthy that the US Army announced in a statement the participation of about 700 National Guard soldiers in the “African Lion 2024” exercises. An American military official confirmed that “multinational exercises such as the African Lion allow working side by side with international partners, enhancing interoperability between the armed forces of the participating countries and demonstrating their efficiency.”

According to the same statement, these maneuvers are expected to include training on the use of the “Javelin” anti-tank and anti-armour missile system, which the US administration recently agreed to sell to the Kingdom of Morocco as part of a deal worth 260 million US dollars. It is expected that a group of Moroccan cities and regions will host these largest maneuvers of their kind in North Africa, such as Agadir, Tan Tan, Mahbas, Kenitra and Tifnit, during the period from the 20th to the 31st of this month.