{"id":35401,"date":"2019-12-06T02:02:50","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T02:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/06\/russian-mercenaries-backing-militia-commander-trying-to-capture-tripoli-libya-and-us-officials-say\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:14:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:14:34","slug":"russian-mercenaries-backing-militia-commander-trying-to-capture-tripoli-libya-and-us-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/12\/06\/russian-mercenaries-backing-militia-commander-trying-to-capture-tripoli-libya-and-us-officials-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian mercenaries backing militia commander trying to capture Tripoli, Libya and US officials say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TRIPOLI, Libya \u2014 Officials in Libya\u2019s U.N.-supported government say they plan to confront Moscow over the alleged deployment of Russian mercenaries fighting alongside their opponents in the country\u2019s civil war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Libyan and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/03\/10\/africom-commander-voices-concern-over-russian-meddling-in-libya\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. officials accuse Russia <\/a>of deploying fighters through a private security contractor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/04\/04\/why-this-us-general-says-russian-wagner-mercenaries-in-africa-concern-me-greatly\/\" target=\"_blank\">the Wagner Group<\/a>, to key battleground areas in Libya in the past months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They say the Russian fighters are backing commander Khalifa Hifter, whose forces have been trying for months to capture the capital Tripoli. The U.N.-supported Government of National Accord is based in Tripoli. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GNA has documented between 600 to 800 Russian fighters in Libya and is collecting their names in a list to present to the Russian government, according to Khaled al-Meshri, the head of the Tripoli-based government\u2019s Supreme Council of State. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are going to visit Russia after we collect all evidence and present to the authorities and see what they say,\u201d al-Meshri told The Associated Press last week. He did not say when that visit would take place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moscow has repeatedly denied playing any role in Libya\u2019s fighting. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/04\/07\/us-withdraws-troops-from-libya-amid-rival-militias-fighting-near-capital\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"192\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19097671371840.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US withdraws troops from Libya amid rival militias fighting near capital<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The United States said Sunday it has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to \u201csecurity conditions on the ground,\u201d as a Libyan military commander\u2019s forces advanced toward the capital, Tripoli, clashing with rival militias.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hifter\u2019s self-styled Libyan National Army \u2014 made up of army units, ultraconservative Salafists, and tribesmen \u2014 launched its offensive on Tripoli in April after seizing much of eastern Libya from Islamic militants and other rivals in recent years. Hifter is backed by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia, while the Tripoli-based government receives aid from Turkey, Qatar and Italy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country is now split between a government in the east, allied with Hifter, and the GNA in Tripoli in the west. Both sides are bolstered by militias. Fighting has stalled in recent weeks, with both sides dug in and shelling one another along Tripoli\u2019s southern reaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Schenker told reporters last week that the State Department is working with European partners to impose sanctions on the Russian military contractor responsible for sending fighters to Tripoli. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe way that this organization of Russians in particular has operated before raises the specter of large-scale casualties in civilian populations,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schenker\u2019s comments came shortly after U.S. officials met with Hifter to press for a cease-fire and \u201cexpressed serious concern\u201d over Russia\u2019s intervention in the conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But President Donald Trump has sent decidedly mixed messages to Hifter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump voiced support of Hifter when he launched his attempt to take over Tripoli, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/04\/21\/trump-calls-libyan-commander-pushing-to-seize-tripoli\/\" target=\"_blank\">praising the commanders \u201canti-terrorism\u201d efforts<\/a> in a phone conversation. The call was a sharp break with the U.S. policy of supporting Libya\u2019s Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hifter\u2019s offensive dealt a blow to U.N. efforts to bring warring parties together. Al-Meshri called for confidence-building measures and a push toward presidential and parliamentary elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSince Gadhafi\u2019s ouster, there have been no presidential elections. People are fed up,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/10\/14\/us-strikes-culled-isis-libya-encampments-unlikely-to-return-to-pre-2016-levels-defense-official-says\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3504302.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US strikes culled ISIS-Libya encampments, unlikely to return to pre-2016 levels, defense official says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The strikes killed an estimated 43 ISIS fighters, with roughly 100 still remaining, according to a senior U.S. defense official, who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Russians\u2019 presence has further mired an already complex conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Meshri maintains his administration has strong evidence that there are Russians fighters on the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He says that government forces have found cell phones, intercepted communications and seized personal belongings left behind in the chaos of battle. He said flight data show dates and names of Russians moving from Syria to Egypt and then the Jordanian capital of Amman before flying to the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, Hifter\u2019s seat of power. He didn\u2019t elaborate or present any of these documents or items to the AP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wagner Group is believed to have sent mercenaries to multiple conflicts, including Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere, raising accusations that Moscow is using it to spread its influence. The firm is a military contractor run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with close ties to the Kremlin. Russian officials have refused in the past to comment on the firm\u2019s activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By deploying fighters into Libya, Russia is embroiling itself in another conflict in the Middle East. Russia\u2019s military is involved in Syria\u2019s civil war, conducting airstrikes and deploying troops and military police. That operation successfully shored up Syrian President Bashar Assad\u2019s government and \u2014 at a relatively modest cost \u2014 helped Moscow expand its clout in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Analysts believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to find leverage with Western powers in oil-rich Libya. They say he also recognizes that the country is a gateway for many migrants trying to reach European shores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Most of this is smoke and mirrors designed to induce fear,&#8221; said Anas Gamati, founder of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute. &#8220;Russian influence has done only two things: inflate their size and specter of their power in Libya. They&#8217;re not positively engaged or trying to play a constructive role with diplomatic or political value.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officially, Russia continues to maintain a dialogue with both sides. Hifter has visited Moscow several times the past years, and a delegation of the Tripoli-based government met with Putin during a Russia-Africa Economic Forum summit in Sochi in October. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The allegations of Russian interference come amid a renewed push for international players to reach a consensus on Libya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Germany is working with the United Nations to host a conference on Libya by early 2020. Observers hope that international players could exert enough pressure to stop the fighting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But others worry that Hifter\u2019s appetite for territory and power might prove too large. Former GNA defense minister Mahdi al-Barghathi, who left in the government in July, says the only way toward peace is for Hifter to be left with no powerful friends, and no other options. Otherwise, al-Barghathi said Hifter will be set to become another Gadhafi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t want to go back to square one,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/11\/14\/esper-says-us-forces-combating-isis-in-libya-continue-to-mow-the-lawn\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MQ-9-Reaper.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Esper says US forces combating ISIS in Libya \u2018continue to mow the lawn\u2019<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The 5-inch gun aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Carney lobbed nearly 285 rounds during the operation to wrest Sirte from ISIS\u2019 grasp.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As long as international powers remain divided, Libya\u2019s conflict risks continuing to play out as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/08\/28\/libyas-civil-war-could-provide-oxygen-to-terrorist-offshoots-says-africom\/\" target=_blank>the world\u2019s latest proxy war<\/a>, some observers warn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPutin would like nothing more than to keep Europe busy and divided over Libya, scared of illegal immigration, paralyzed by right-wing populism that threatens the very idea of the EU,\u201d said Mohammed Eljareh, an analyst who runs Libya Outlook, a consulting company on Libyan affairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll of this is music to Putin\u2019s ears,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writers Matt Lee in Washington, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Isabel DeBre in Cairo contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>___<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>This story has been corrected to show that the Sochi meeting was in October, not March.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officials in Libya\u2019s U.N.-supported government say they plan to confront Moscow over the alleged deployment of Russian mercenaries fighting alongside their opponents in the country\u2019s civil war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":69081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,23,93,12,25,68],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3243],"class_list":["post-35401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"Y2GHX2VN6NES3MYZOAZVZTO22E","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2019\/12\/06\/russian-mercenaries-backing-militia-commander-trying-to-capture-tripoli-libya-and-us-officials-say\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Russian mercenaries backing militia commander trying to capture Tripoli, Libya and US officials say - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Officials in Libya\u2019s U.N.-supported government say they plan to confront Moscow over the alleged deployment of Russian mercenaries fighting alongside their opponents in the country\u2019s civil war.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/12\/06\/russian-mercenaries-backing-militia-commander-trying-to-capture-tripoli-libya-and-us-officials-say\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maggie Michael, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/06\\\/russian-mercenaries-backing-militia-commander-trying-to-capture-tripoli-libya-and-us-officials-say\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/06\\\/russian-mercenaries-backing-militia-commander-trying-to-capture-tripoli-libya-and-us-officials-say\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                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