On 26 December, Tripoli’s Special Deterrence Force (Rada or the SDF) issued a statement distancing itself from the 444 Brigade and the current tensions in Tripoli over the assignment of the Commander of the Tripoli military zone which it claimed had, “resulted in friction that almost led to a new war inside the capital.” The statement asserted that, “The deterrence apparatus [i.e. Rada] is independent and does not represent it or associate with the 444 Brigade of the Tripoli Military District, as [Rada] is affiliated with the Libyan Army.”