Russian Deputy Defense Minister Junus-bek Yevkurov, arrived today at Benina Airport in Benghazi, eastern Libya, on his fifth visit to the country since last August. Khaled Haftar, former commander of the NLA's 106th Brigade, has attracted attention for his rapid rise in the military. Since last summer, Khaled has been placed head of the NLA "Security Forces", a new entity that also includes the Khalid ibn al Walid Brigade, one of the strongest militias in eastern Libya. The same Russian official then returned to eastern Libya in October 2023, following devastating floods in the Derna region, to meet Haftar again. The Russian Deputy Defense Minister then made another visit to Benghazi last December, during which he met Haftar again, focusing on the modalities of joint cooperation, as reported by the Cyrenaica media.

Source: Libya Today May 31, 2024 15:00 UTC