RADA Special Deterrence Forces

State of Libya Al Radaa for Countering Terrorism & Organized Crime (Arabic: دولة ليبيا جهاز الردع لمكافحة الارهاب والجريمة المنظمة), commonly known as RADA Special Deterrence Forces, or simply RADA, is a Madkhali^[1] radical Islamist special operations military police unit formed in Tripoli, Libya, for the purpose of tackling crime. Its focus is high-profile kidnappings,^[2] murders, drug and alcohol poisoning related deaths, illegal migrant smuggling, weapons smuggling, explosives smuggling, terrorist attacks and plots. A lack of political power and police presence in Tripoli provoked the founding of this special unit.

State of Libya Al Radaa for Countering Terrorism & Organized Crime
دولة ليبيا جهاز الردع لمكافحة الارهاب والجريمة المنظمة
Founded	approx. 2011–2012 (13 years ago) by Abdulrauf Kara
Country	Libya
Allegiance	Presidential Council and Abdulrauf Kara
Branch	Ministry of Internal Affairs
Type	Radical Islamic Paramilitary Special Forces
Role	SWAT / Militarized Police Ops
Size	1500~
Part of	Ministry of Interior
Website	RADA Deterrence Forces on Facebook
Commanders
Leadership	Abdul Raouf Kara

The leader is Abdul Raouf Kara.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Rada has been involved in tackling non-Islamic activities and dissidents within Tripoli, including fighting against Libyan National Army.

History

RADA was originally a fighting unit that helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in the 2011 civil war. After Gaddafi, Abdul Rauf Kara was a member of the police force formed by the Supreme Security Committee with a reported 700 men at his disposal. The Supreme Security Committee (SSC) was then dissolved into the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Libya^[8] where his forces were then relabeled as RADA Special Deterrence forces under the guidance of the Ministry of Interior.

Size and composition

The group has an estimated 1,500 members. It is the third or fourth largest militia in Tripoli. Ninety percent of their force are legitimate police officers, seventy percent of whom served in the Libyan police force prior to 2011. Their main areas of operations in Tripoli are the western areas of Soug Al Jouma and Ain Zara. Their headquarters are at Mitiga International Airport.^[9][10][11]

Operations

RADA operates as an independent department under the Ministry of Interior,^[11] and implements a focused anti-narcotics and police force mandate. RADA Special Forces are involved in police work, investigations, arrests, patrols, checkpoints, and other anti-crime activities. This organisation actively and publicly releases images and online footage displaying the seizure of explosives and components smuggled by terrorists, unregulated alcohol seizures, unregulated medical goods such as Tramadol, dollar-dinar black market arrests, arrests of terrorism and terrorist suspects, arrests of kidnappers and other criminals, seizing illegal contraband, etc.

RADA operates primarily within Tripoli, but also outside the capital, in cities such as Sabratha, Zawiah, Benghazi, Sirte, Dernah and Zwarah.

RADA operates under Islamic Sharia principles with "accordance to" post Gaddafi-era laws reformed under controversial circumstances^[12][13][14] by the Islamic Supreme court of Tripoli. Legal and political reforms were made during the coup d'état against the house of representatives in the 2013–14 battle of Tripoli by "Libya Dawn".

As an example, in August 2017, one of Libya's most notorious human and fuel smugglers Fahmi Salim Bin Khalifa was captured^[15][16][17] as ordered by the Attorney General's Office and praised by the state owned National Oil Corporation. The move is notable due to Libya's 2013–2017 security vacuum and governance crisis.

Controversy

Raid on Comiccon Libya

On 3 November 2017, RADA and the Nawasi Brigade in charge of security shut down the officially registered^[18] "Comiccon Libya" event, which hosted around 2000–3000 people. The event was raided by RADA in the Dat El Emad office complex area.^[19]

The organizers of Comiccon were accused by RADA to host "satanic, pornographic, and masonic material that intended to corrupt the morals^[20][21] of the youth and the Libyan people, influenced by western culture". The alarm was raised when Facebook groups mistakenly labeled the Comiccon as a Halloween event, implying that the event was hosting pagan material. Commiccon was sponsored by the "SIGMA" group, and hosted Comics from Marvel and other related material (Otaku) from anime and manga comics. Foam board images of Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and Hulk were torn down, Disney action figures were broken as they "represented false idols" that were deemed haram by hardline Islamists. The Al Nawasi brigade in charge of security demanded the immediate removal of Japanese art and language writing as some resembled Christian crosses. A Korean-Japanese booth selling Japanese kimono was closed and accused of spreading Buddhism. The organizers of Comiccon faced "legal prosecution" for "violating public morals".^[22]

Alleged human rights abuses

Several international human rights organisations have reported serious abuses attributed to the RADA Special Deterrence Forces and, later, the State of Libya Al Radaa for Countering Terrorism and Organized Crime. Reports have described arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearances, particularly at Mitiga Prison in Tripoli, which is under the unit’s control.

Amnesty International warned that integrating the Rada forces into official state structures without robust accountability mechanisms risked formalising impunity for militia abuses, noting patterns of unlawful detention and ill-treatment of detainees.^[23][24]

Human Rights Watch has documented continuing arbitrary detentions and systemic torture in Mitiga and other facilities linked to RADA, as well as the absence of judicial oversight. The organisation also noted that a former Mitiga official affiliated with Rada was arrested in Germany in 2025 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed inside the prison.^[25][26]

A report by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) likewise detailed widespread abuses against detainees, including migrants and asylum seekers, in detention facilities under RADA's authority in Tripoli, finding that many were held in inhumane conditions and subjected to torture and sexual violence.^[27]