You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Africa North
Libya GNA refutes claims it hired Syria mercenaries
2020-02-06
"No, Certainly not. They're volunteers"
[Middle East Monitor] Libya's internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) yesterday rejected media reports claiming its army has hired Syrian mercenaries to fight against renegade Major General Khalifa Haftar in Tripoli, Anadolu reported.

A spokesman for the GNA's "Volcano of Rage Operation", Mustafa Al-Mujai, told the news agency that "spreading rumours about the presence of Syrian mercenaries fighting among our forces aims at covering up the scandals of the coup camp's use of thousands of mercenaries."

The Associated Press recently reported that Turkey had sent fighters from Syria to fight alongside the GNA army in Libya.

"Haftar is the one who brought the Syrian mercenaries…. to Benghazi and he was the one who also violated the arms embargo," the spokesperson said.

Al-Mujai said the rumours also aim to "obtain information about the size and type of Turkish-Libyan cooperation, since the signing of the security and military memorandums of understanding between the two parties at the end of last year."

Meanwhile, spokesman for the Volcano of Rage Operation, Abdul-Malik Al-Madani, stressed that the only ones defending Tripoli against Haftar's offensive are the sons of the Libyan people and the city's residents.
Posted by:Frank G

#3  GNA is correct.

Turkey hired them.
Posted by: lord garth   2020-02-06 10:39  

#2  Ahem, they were 'donated'.
Posted by: Mullah Richard   2020-02-06 08:06  

#1  I think the word 'disputes' rather than 'refutes' would be more accurate.
Posted by: b   2020-02-06 07:31  

00:00