"Libyans expressed deep concerns on Friday on the anniversary of the 2011 NATO intervention, which they said sowed division and ‘turned everything upside down’, noting that the country has yet to fully recover fifteen years later. Footage shows traffic flowing along the main street of the Libyan City of Misrata, as locals mark Eid al-Fitr at a time when the Middle East is again blighted by violence amid a Western intervention. “We can not help but recall the time of Nato’s intervention in Libya which led to the demise of tens of thousands of Libyans, who were the victims of blatant meddling in Libyan internal affairs under Operation Odyssey Dawn,” said local Ridhwan Khashem. “The repercussions of this intervention persist to this day. America considers itself the world’s police and its flagrant interventions continue in the region and worldwide,” he added. Another local described the impact on the country, after the military campaign to deliver regime change “turned everything upside down,” “This intervention created divisions, labeling people as eastern or western, this individual is aligned with Haftar, that one with the former regime. These external influences worked to fragment society. In reality, the Libyan people are one,” explained fellow local Abdulkarim Altaaib. “It is well known that no foreign intervention has ever truly brought a solution. It has always been about exploiting resources and deepening divisions,” he added. In February 2011, massive protests against then-President Muammar Al-Gaddafi swept through Libya. NATO military intervention in Libya began, while the United Nations issued Resolutions 1970 and 1973 authorising all means necessary to protect civilians, including a no-fly zone. Initially, the US-led coalition conducted military operations under the codename Operation Odyssey Dawn (OOD), before NATO assumed full control and renamed it as ‘Operation Unified Protector’, launching naval and air strikes against government headquarters to implement the international resolution. The operation lasted for 8 months and ended in October, 2011 with the fall of the Gaddafi regime. Since the intervention, the situation in Libya has been one of political and economic turmoil, with two separate internal military operations launched. In the east, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar led ‘Operation Dignity’ to combat what he called ‘terrorist organisations’, while a coalition of armed Islamist groups launched ‘Operation Libya Dawn’ in the west, resulting in the seizure of Tripoli. Following this, periods of fierce fighting have ensued, with each party seeking to consolidate its grip on the two parts of the country. Despite efforts by neighbouring countries and the UN, the division and outbreaks of violence remain to this day. "