The
delivery, which came as a donation from the US Army, also comes as the
army struggles to secure the country's borders to prevent the free movement
of arms dealers, terrorists and drug traffickers who took advantage of
the security vacuum created by the fall of former ruler Colonel Muammar
Gaddafi during the revolution in October 2011.
Libyan
Army chiefs unveiled the armoured cars in Tripoli earlier this month,
saying the country needs to boost its arsenal to improve the mobility
of its border patrol units. The Humvees will be used by the Libyan Army
border guards, according to the Libya Herald.
Last
month, the Libyan Army ordered 300 BRDM and BVP-1 armoured vehicles from
the Czech Republic and signed a deal for the refurbishment of a further
300 BDRM armoured personnel carriers already in service within the army.
Libya
is pushing ahead with efforts to rebuild and re-equip its army with the
help of international partners including France, Italy, Britain, the US,
Czech Republic, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, amongst others.
Internally,
the army is battling various armed Islamist insurgent groups and former
militias who refuse to give up the weapons they obtained while fighting
in the revolution against Colonel Gaddafi in 2011. |