Warlord Khalifa Haftar has launched a military operation into the southwest under the pretext of “expelling terrorists and African mercenaries.”
Haftar’s spokesman Ahmed Al-Mismari said in a statement Friday that infantry brigades from Haftar’s militias headed to coordinate with the southwest liberation room forces in the south.
Al-Mismari said the operation is aimed to track down terrorists and African mercenaries as well as armed gangs that are threatening peace and security in the region by committing armed robberies, smuggling and crimes.
The move by Haftar comes at a time when his militias are operating outside the Libyan Army ranks and without consultation with the Government of National Unity, Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, and the Head of the Presidential Council, Mohammed Menfi.
UN reports and international press have both confirmed that African mercenaries, especially Chadian and Sudanese rebels, are operating under Haftara’s militias, along with the Russian Wagner Group and Syrian mercenaries.
