The deal was finalised after a meeting last week between Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saddam Khalifa Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of the LNA, in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, said the four officials.

The officials, all involved in defence matters, declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the deal.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry, defence ministry and military did not respond to requests for comment.

A copy of the deal before it was finalised that was seen by Reuters listed the purchase of 16 JF-17 fighter jets, a multi-role combat aircraft that has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft, used for basic pilot training.

One of the Pakistani officials confirmed the list was accurate while a second official said the arms on the list were all part of the deal but could not provide exact numbers.

One of the Pakistani officials said the deal included the sale of equipment for land, sea and air, spread over 2-1/2 years, adding it could also include the JF-17 fighter jets.

Two of the officials said the deal was valued at more than $4 billion, while the other two said it amounted to $4.6 billion.

The LNA’s official media channel reported on Sunday that the faction had entered a defence cooperation pact with Pakistan, which included weapons sales, joint training and military manufacturing, without providing details.

“We announce the launch of a new phase of strategic military cooperation with Pakistan,” Haftar said in remarks broadcast on Sunday by Al Hadath television.