 At the opening of 1987 , the last year of the war , the Libyan expeditionary force was still impressive , comprising 8 @,@ 000 soldiers , 300 tanks , many multiple rocket launchers ( rocket artillery ) and regular artillery pieces , Mi @-@ 24 helicopters and sixty combat aircraft . 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 . 
