Article

2019-11-07 Africa North

Italian lawmakers: Russian mercenaries concerning turning point in Libya's conflict

[Libya Observer] Italian Parliament members from the governing party have warned that hundreds of Russian mercenaries fighting for Khalifa Haftar

...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
's forces in Libya constitute a concerning turning point in the conflict and damage national reconciliation efforts before the international conference in Berlin.

Italian news agency, Aki, reported the politicians as saying that the Russian mercenaries can make difference in the ongoing fighting for Haftar's forces against the forces under the command of Presidential Council's government, "supported by Italia and the UN."

They added that remaining silent is no longer helpful as world powers keep intervening in Libya to destabilize this country "that has very significant strategic importance to Italia."

New York Times

...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
said Tuesday in a report that 200 Russian mercenaries have been despatched to fight alongside Haftar's forces in Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
as part of The Kremlin's expanding influence in the Middle East and Africa.

The New York Times added that Moscow is repeating the same game that it adopted to have a massive influence in the war in Syria.

Posted by Fred 2019-11-07 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11 views ] Top
File under: Arab Spring

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