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Line 59: At the opening of 1987, the last year of the war, the Libyan expeditionary force was still impressive, comprising 8,000 soldiers, 300 tanks, multiple rocket launchers ([[rocket artillery]]) and regular artillery pieces, [[Mil Mi-24\|Mi-24]] helicopters, and sixty combat aircraft{{clarify\|date=October 2022}}. These forces did not have a unified command but were divided into an Operational Group South, active in the [[Tibesti]] with 2,500 men, and an Operational Group East, centered in [[Faya-Largeau]].<ref name=Pollack391>{{harvnb\|Pollack\|2002\|p=391}}</ref> ~~Apparently~~Though formidable, the Libyan military disposition in Chad was marred by serious flaws. The Libyans were prepared for a war in which they would provide ground and air support to their Chadian allies, who would then act as assault infantry, and provide reconnaissance. By 1987, however, [[Muammar Gaddafi]] had lost his allies, exposing Libya's inadequate knowledge of the area. Libyan garrisons came to resemble isolated and vulnerable islands in the Chadian [[Sahara]]. Also significant was the low morale among the troops, who were fighting in a foreign country, and the structural disorganization of the [[Libyan Army (1951–2011)\|military of Libya]], which was in part induced by [[Muammar Gaddafi]]'s fear of a military [[Coup d'état\|coup]] against him. This fear led him to avoid the professionalization of the armed forces.<ref>{{harvnb\|Pollack\|2002\|pp=386, 398}}</ref>{{sfn\|Nolutshungu\|1995\|pp=218–219}} The Libyans also had to deal with the greatly strengthened [[Chadian National Armed Forces]] (FANT), which was composed of 10,000 highly motivated soldiers, led by experienced and able commanders, such as [[Idriss Déby]], [[Hassan Djamous]] and [[Heads of State of Chad\|Head of State]] [[Hissène Habré]] himself. And while FANT previously had no air power, limited mobility, and few anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, by 1987 it could count on the [[French Air Force]] to keep Libyan aircraft grounded and, most importantly, to provide 400 new [[Toyota pickup]]s equipped with [[MILAN]] [[anti-tank guided missile]]s. It is these trucks that gave the name "Toyota War" to this last phase of the Chadian-Libyan conflict.{{sfn\|Azevedo\|1998\|pp=149–150}}<ref>{{harvnb\|Pollack\|2002\|pp=391, 398}}</ref>

Toyota War: Difference between revisions