Sirte – Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar, Deputy General Commander of the Armed Forces, received a high-level American delegation in the city of Sirte on Tuesday. The delegation included Lieutenant General John Brennan, Deputy Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), and Mr. Jeremy Berndt, the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Libya.
During the meeting, Lt. Gen. Saddam Haftar conveyed greetings from the General Commander of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, to the visiting delegation, emphasizing the depth of relations between the two sides.
Discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations, with both parties exchanging views on issues of mutual interest. The talks specifically addressed joint efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, maintain regional security, and confront the challenges of illegal immigration.
In a significant development reflecting the outcomes of the meeting, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced that the city of Sirte has been chosen to host the “Flintlock 2026” exercise. AFRICOM clarified that these maneuvers will see broad participation from countries in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
According to the U.S. command, the exercises will focus on counter-terrorism, enhancing readiness, and improving operational integration among all participating forces. This marks an important step towards deepening direct military cooperation between the General Command of the Armed Forces and AFRICOM.