A lot of this is run out of Prigozhin’s shop there and the Wagner Group,” the official said, referring to Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the Kremlin-linked businessman who U.S. officials say runs Wagner and was charged with criminal interference in the 2016 elections. The Kremlin has denied knowledge of Russian mercenaries in Libya while a spokesman for Prigozhin denied the businessman has any links to the Wagner Group. ADBashagha acknowledged that the GNA had acquired weaponry from Turkey or Turkish companies in the months after Hifter launched his offensive. ADTheir visit occurs amid divisions in the Trump administration over the direction of U.S. policy on Libya. A State Department statement issued after last week’s meetings called on forces loyal to Hifter to end their offensive on Tripoli.

Source: Washington Post November 18, 2019 23:32 UTC