4 yıl önce

Russia sent more equipment to Libyan front lines: US military

Last week, warlord Haftar's LNA sent militants and weapons to bolster its defence of Sirte, already badly battered from warfare and chaos since the 2011 revolution.

AFP

Military engineers sort ammunition and explosives, uncovered from areas south of the capital, ahead of disposing them in the Libyan capital Tripoli on July 22, 2020.

Russia appears to be sending more military equipment to its mercenaries in Libya, including the flashpoint city of Sirte, in breach of an arms embargo, the US military has said.

Its Africa Command said on Friday there was mounting evidence from satellite pictures of Moscow's military cargo planes, including IL-6s, bringing supplies to fighters from the Russian Wagner Group.

Both sides have been mobilising forces around Sirte, where any major new escalation could risk drawing major regional powers further into Libya's messy conflict.

The Tripoli-based internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is backed by Turkey. The eastern-based militias (LNA) of warlord Khalifa Haftar are backed by Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

LIBYA: #Russia & the #Wagner Group continue to be involved in both ground & air operations in #Libya
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"The type and volume of equipment demonstrates an intent toward sustained offensive combat action capabilities, not humanitarian relief," said Gering.
— US AFRICOM (@USAfricaCommand) July 24, 2020

Sustained offensive?

"The type and volume of equipment demonstrate an intent toward sustained offensive combat action capabilities," the Africa Command said in a statement posted on its website.

Both Russia and its ally have denied previous US military statements that Moscow has sent fighter jets to back Wagner forces there.

The GNA earlier this year pushed Haftar's militias from most of the territory it held in northwest Libya, including in Tripoli, destroying several Russian air defence systems.

However, the warlord's militias stopped retreating at the central coastal city of Sirte, which it took from the GNA in January, and the front line has solidified there.