by PETER DÖRRIE

Civil wars are usually asymmetric affairs — the government has large numbers and modern weapons while the opposition has what it can capture on the battlefield or buy on the black market.

In most cases, rebels don’t find or buy supersonic fighter jets.

Libya is different. The country’s complex civil war is a direct result of the 2011 revolution against Muammar Gaddafi. Rebels, aided by NATO aerial support, killed the dictator on Oct. 20, 2011.

After his death, both rebel and loyalist forces fractured. Gaddafi’s vast and modern weapon stockpiles were suddenly available to anyone. Soldiers from all sides of the conflict scooped up the remains of the Libyan air force.

Libya has two rival governments, each supported by a loose coalition of militias. The New General National Congress is based in the traditional capital Tripoli and relies on Islamist militias who claim to be the defenders of the 2011 revolution. These militias have founded the “Libya Dawn” coalition, but many remain operationally independent.

The Council of Deputies — based in the eastern city of Tobruk — has greater international support. Many of its soldiers fought for Gaddafi. Now they are under the command of Gen. Haftar, a controversial figure with possible ties to the CIA.

The Islamists of Libya Dawn are diverse and mostly stand for a moderate interpretation of political Islam. But a third faction brings together groups such as Ansar Al Sharia and the Islamic State in Libya — two militant Islamist groups known for the brutal beheading of Egyptian Coptic Christians and African migrants.

This breakaway faction is hostile to both Libya Dawn and Haftar’s forces but controls little territory.

Both Libya Dawn and Haftar have military attack aircraft. Under Gaddafi, Libya received hundreds of planes from the Soviet Union and France. The Libyan air force used the planes a lot in the ’80s during a war with neighboring Chad. Surprise attacks from Chad on Libyan air force bases thinned the number of jets.

After the fall of the Soviet Union and a series of embargoes against Libya in the ’90s, Gaddafi’s collection of planes fell into serious disrepair. As the West continued to pressure Gaddafi in the early 2000s, the dictator tried to restore his fleet.

Then came the Libyan civil war and NATO air strikes in 2011. The bombing runs decimated the jets and only a few dozen aircraft survived the fall of Gaddafi. Few of those could fly.