under Mahdi Al-Barghathi, the Defence Minister of the GNA. Primarily the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) were involved with the defense of Benghazi against both ISIS and the Libyan National Army (LNA), where they lost to the LNA. They were also involved in the 2016 offensive against ISIL's stronghold in Sirte, and occupied Ben Jawad and Nufliya on behalf of the GNA, but they withdrew when the LNA advanced into those towns. The BDB were apparently responsible for shooting down a French helicopter that the GNA said was violating Libyan sovereignty. The French denied retaliating with airstrikes against the BDB. The BDB are headquartered at Al Jufra Air Base, along with other GNA forces, and were attacked there by the LNA in December 2016. Notes and references 2014 establishments in Libya Aftermath of the First Libyan Civil War Jihadist groups in Libya