The civil war in Libya continues to grind away and foreign nations are supporting one faction or another in the conflict. Russia is one of those countries – providing aircraft, vehicles, technicians, air defense equipment, and mercenaries to the fight.

The civil war began after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi from power. He was the long-time dictator of Libya before a NATO-backed revolt removed him from power in 2011. Since then the country has been in turmoil and currently there are two factions fighting for control of Libya.

The Wagner Group, a Russian private military company (PMC), has been on the front lines of the Libyan conflict since late 2018. Russia is supporting the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by a Libyan warlord – Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter. The LNA is positioned in the east of the country. It maintains control of the east and some of the central and south regions of Libya. In addition to Russia, the LNA is supported by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

Hifter is a former Central Intelligence Agency asset. He was exiled during Gadhafi’s rule and lived in the U.S. He became a U.S. citizen and lived in Virginia for many years. In 2011 he returned to Libya.

The Government of National Accord (GNA) is internationally recognized by most of the world’s governments and is backed by the United Nations. The United States (diplomatically) is also backing the GNA as well. The GNA is based in the west, headquartered in the capital of Tripoli. A key battleground is the area around Sirte where oil refineries and shipping ports are located. Other countries actively supporting the GNA include Turkey and Qatar.

The Wagner Group is believed to be headed by a former Russian intelligence officer – Yevgeniy Prigozhin. He has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Wagner Group has been active in many troubled spots in the world to include Syria, Ukraine, Crimea, Central African Republic, and other nations. The group’s personnel are known to train alongside Russian armed forces and are suspected to work closely with the Russian military intelligence agency (the Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU).

The Wagner Group is reported to have been founded by Dmitry Utkin – a former member of a special forces unit of the GRU. Utkin’s call sign was Wagner – and thus the name Wagner Group.

Recent imagery released by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) shows Wagner forces and equipment deployed in Libya.

Russia has provided a variety of military equipment to include fighter aircraft (Mig-29s and Su-24s), air defense systems (SA-22s), armored vehicles, and weapons. Some equipment is known to be flown into Libya on Russian military cargo aircraft like the Ilyushin IL-76s.

In May 2020 AFRICOM reported that approximately 14 fighter aircraft were flown from Russia to Iran and then on to Syria where their Russian markings were painted over. The aircraft then departed Russia’s Khmeimim airbase in western Syria and were flown into Libya to the Al-Jufra airbase controlled by General Khalifa Haftar.

For the last few years the Wagner Group has operated out of at least two bases in eastern Libya – in Benghazi and Tobruk. Wagner personnel are actively involved in the fighting on the front lines. They are assisting in delivering accurate mortar and artillery fire by serving as forward fires observers. In addition, LNA artillery fire has been enhanced with laser-guided munitions. Russian snipers have been reported to be targeted mid-level GNA commanders. Russian technicians have been repairing vehicles and providing expertise for air defense systems and drones.

It has been estimated that as many as 2,000 Wagner Group personnel were operating in Libya in late 2019. In addition, some 2,000 Syrians are in Libya – possibly working for the Wagner Group.

The Russian Federation is violating United Nations Security Council Resolution UNSCR 1970 by providing military personnel and equipment to the Libyan conflict.

Russia is attempting to gain a foothold in Libya so it will have a presence on the southern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is likely looking at the possibility of future air and naval bases in Libya should its side win out in the civil war. Establishing military bases in Libya would provide Russia with increased influence in Africa and the Mediterranean as well as a military presence on NATO’s southern flank. Once Libya is stabilized it will likely resume the export of significant quantities of oil – which could be another long-term benefit for Russia.

**********

Image: Derived from maps produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

References:

“The GRU, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Russia’s Wagner Group: Malign Russian Actors and Possible U.S. Responses”, Kimberly Marten, testimony before U.S. House of Representatives, July 7, 2020, 13 pages, PDF.

“Who’s Flying Those MiG-29s in Libya and Why Does It Matter?”, Forbes.com, June 29, 2020.

“Wagner Group in Libya: Weapon of War or Geopolitical Tool?”, by Sergey Sukhankin, Terrorism Monitor, The Jamestown Foundation, June 26, 2020.

“Implausible Deniability: Russia’s Private Military Companies”, by Paul Stronski, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, June 2, 2020.

“Hundreds more Russian mercenaries flee western Libya: GNA forces”, Aljazeera.com, May 25, 2020.

“Wagner, shadowy Russian military group, ‘fighting in Libya'”, BBC News, May 7, 2020.

“SOF in Libya – Providing Direct Support”, SOF News, August 9, 2016.

“Wagner Group”, Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group

SOF News Update 20170107 – France gets after the ‘tangos’, 10 wars to watch in 2017, a SF dude in the corporate world, SF history, Erik Prince and border control, U.S. wounded in Iraq and Syria, Year of the Commando, and more.

France Hitting Terrorists Hard. France has been stepping up its game over the past few years in going after the ‘bad guys’. The French intelligence and special operations organizations have been active throughout the Middle East and North Africa hitting the terrorists hard. Read more in “France secretly launches fightback against ISIS as President Hollande orders deaths of 40 jihadists”, UK Mirror, January 6, 2017.

News is Quiet on Wounded in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. military has been relatively quiet about its wounded military members from Iraq and Syria. Read more in “More U.S. troops are being wounded in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon quietly acknowledges”, Military Times, January 5, 2017.

Erik Prince and Border Control. The founder of the private military contracting firm once known as Blackwater – Erik Prince – says that private border control firms can help solve the illegal migrant problem for European nations. Read “Mercenaries at the Border”, Vice News, January 3, 2017.

History Channel. Read a short article on the history of U.S. Army Special Forces. “History Vault: Special Forces”,  January 6, 2017.

Year of the Commando. Nick Turse of Tom’s Dispatch.com (yes, that guy) has wrote a detailed article on the use of special operations forces around the world. You may not agree with his politics, he may exaggerate, and he gets some facts wrong, and puts his slant on things. But it is interesting reading just the same. Some info Turse puts out you won’t find in other places – nope, not even at SOF.news. Read “Year of the Commando: U.S. Special Ops forces deploy to 138 nations”, Salon, January 6, 2017.

10 Wars to Track. 2017 should not be too different than 2016 in most respects. One thing constant with 2016 – a lot of conflict around the world – should be a constant during 2017 as well. Read more in “10 Conflicts to Watch in 2017”, Foreign Policy, January 5, 2017.

Can SF Soldiers Adapt to the Business World? Of course they can and they can be great assets to corporations needing personnel who can working in very challenging international environments. Read more in “Understanding a Special Forces Soldier’s Resume: A Thought Experiment”, Linkedin Pulse, January 4, 2017.

SOF News Update for 20161030 – Ukrainian Special Forces, Journal of Special Operations Medicine, mercenaries, fallen Navy CPO takes final voyage home, Malaysian SOF, new deadlier technologies for MARSOC, and more.

Ukrainian Special Forces. The conflict in the Ukraine continues to grind on. Russia is not the only side of the conflict to employ Little Green Men – its version of unconventional warfare. The Ukrainian Special Forces are busy as well. Read more in “Inside the Covert War in Ukraine”, Vice News, October 4, 2016.

MARSOC Seeks Deadlier Technologies. “The Marine Corps is sending some of its Raiders on a new mission: developing new technologies to make MARSOC even deadlier”. Read more in a news report by Marine Corps Times, October 4, 2016.

Program on Mercenaries. BBC World Service recently (Oct 7, 2016) aired a 50-minute long broadcast entitled Mercenaries: Guns for Hire.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p049gt5h

CPO Returns Home on Final Journey. Chief Petty Officer Jason Finan was recently killed in action in Iraq by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). He is on his way home for memorial services in the San Diego area. Finan was supporting a U.S. Navy SEAL unit when he was killed. Read “Body of Fallen Coronado-Based Sailor Returns Home”, NBC San Diego, October 28, 2016.

JSOM Info. For those who are working in the special operations medical field there is an online magazine that provides a wealth of knowledge in this area. Visit the website of the Journal of Special Operations Medicine at www.jsomonline.org.

Tech Update – Flying Motorcycles for SOF. So a Special Forces battalion has its Combat Dive Team, HALO Team, and Mountain Teams. Is a “Flying Motorcycle” team in the near future? How many specialized teams will we need to have before the day of the “Rucksack Team” goes away? Read more in “Here’s An Idea: Give Special Forces Some Motorcycles”, Wired.com, October 28, 2016.

USAJFKSWCS Honors 12 SOF Members. Twelve former members of Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and PSYOP were honored by the SWC recently for contributions to the SOF community. Read more in a news report by The Fayetteville Observer, October 28, 2016.

SFA Chapter 2 Throw Blankets. The Special Forces Association on Okinawa is selling limited edition blankets for current and former members of 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group members. (LinkedIn, Sep 29, 2016)