‘This isn’t good,’ state department official says as Russian mercenaries backing Khalifa Haftar turn conflict into bloodier oneThe United States is “very concerned” about the intensification of the conflict in Libya, with a rising number of reported Russian mercenaries supporting warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces on the ground turning the conflict into a bloodier one, a senior state department official said on Saturday. Libya has been divided since 2014 into rival military and political camps based in the capital, Tripoli, and the east. Serraj’s government is in conflict with forces led by Khalifa Haftar based in eastern Libya. Haftar is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and most recently Russian mercenaries, according to diplomats and Tripoli officials. The US official said the involvement of Russian mercenaries so far has not tipped the conflict in favor of Haftar.

Source: The Guardian December 21, 2019 15:56 UTC