Libya Security Chief Says Russians Spearhead Tripoli Battle
- Wagner group leading offensive to capture capital: Bashagha
- Bashagha defends controversial military pact with Turkey
Photographer: Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty Images
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The security chief of Libya’s UN-backed government in Tripoli said Russian mercenaries backing eastern commander Khalifa Haftar are now spearheading a battle to capture the capital.
Fathi Bashagha, the interior minister for the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, said fighters with the Russian Wagner group, headed by a confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin, are leading the battle on the frontlines in Tripoli’s outskirts, which has been accompanied by heavy shelling.