Khamis Brigade

32nd Reinforced Brigade of the Armed People
Brigade SSI
Active2003–2011
Country Libya
AllegianceMilitary of Libya
TypeMechanized infantry
RoleHeavy Mechanized (Elite Unit)
Size10,000[1]
Nickname(s)Khamis Brigade
EngagementsFirst Libyan Civil War
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Khamis Gaddafi  

The Khamis Brigade, formally the 32nd Reinforced Brigade of the Armed People,[2] was a regime security brigade of the Libyan Armed Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi,[3] the leader of Libya from 1969 until 2011. The 32nd Brigade was commanded by Gaddafi's youngest son, Khamis Gaddafi and was called "the most well-trained and well-equipped force in the Libyan military" and "the most important military and security elements of the regime" in leaked U.S. memos.[4]

In 2009, according to news reports, Belgian arms manufacturers delivered 11.5 million € worth of small arms and ammunition to the 32nd Brigade. The aim, according to the Walloon government, was to protect humanitarian convoys heading for Darfur in the Sudan.[5]

  1. ^ "Coalition Watching Qaddafi Son's Elite Unit, U.S. Commander Says". Business Week. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011.
  2. ^ Hamilton, John (23 February 2011). "Libya protests: The tangled web keeping Gaddafi in power". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference aljazeera 2011/02 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ U.S. diplomatic cables leak, 09TRIPOLI924, 19 November 2009
  5. ^ Amnesty International, 'Arms Transfers to the Middle East and North Africa: Lessons for an Effective Arms Trade Treaty,' ACT 2011, p.41