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Africa North
Libyan officials cite evidence of Russian mercenaries in war
2019-12-06
[Aljazeera] Libyan and US officials accuse Moscow of deploying private contractors to key battleground areas for General Haftar.

Officials in Libya's UN-recognised government say they plan to confront Moscow over the alleged deployment of Russian mercenaries to fight alongside their opponents in the country's civil war.

Libyan and US officials accused Russia of deploying fighters through a private security contractor, the Wagner Group, to key battleground areas in Libya in recent months.

They say the Russian fighters are backing renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces have been trying for months to capture the capital, Tripoli, where the UN-recognised Government of National Accord is based.

The GNA has documented between 600 and 800 Russian mercenaries in Libya and is collecting their names on a list to present to the Russian government, according to Khaled al-Meshri, head of the GNA's Supreme Council of State.

"We are going to visit Russia after we collect all evidence and present to the authorities and see what they say," al-Meshri told The Associated Press last week.

He did not say when the visit would take place. Moscow has repeatedly denied playing any role in Libya's war.
Related:
Wagner Group: 2019-12-03 Libya's Presidential Council says airstrikes of Haftar's forces are "war crimes"
Wagner Group: 2019-11-28 Air strikes shut production at Libya's al-Feel oilfield
Wagner Group: 2019-11-27 US delegation meets Haftar, warns him of Russia's intervention in Libya
Posted by:Besoeker

#6  Hey stop that, you're doing what we're doing said A to B
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2019-12-06 09:56  

#5  Andrei... you've lost another submarine battalion?

g(r)om, fly? Hell, I want a vid. Certainly an Emmy level nominee for best actor and supporting actor.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2019-12-06 09:18  

#4  Duh
When I was in Tripoli in 2013 the town was full of big lumpy guys speaking Arabic with Russian accents
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2019-12-06 07:50  

#3  Russian "Mercenaries" - the definition of implausible deniability.
Posted by: Mercutio   2019-12-06 07:30  

#2  "We are going to visit Russia after we collect all evidence and present to the authorities and see what they say," al-Meshri told The Associated Press last week.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in this event.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-12-06 01:02  

#1  Wasn't it Wagner who wrote operas in which the Fat Lady Sings?
Maybe ol' Richard W. had the right idea-- at least as it relates to Libya
Posted by: Lex   2019-12-06 00:24  

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