New York Times: By Air and Sea, Mercenaries Landed in Libya. Then the Plan Went South.
A short-lived mission uncovered by U.N. investigators offers a glimpse into the world of those who have thrived off Libya’s chaos.
CAIRO — Two former British marines piloted their boats, a pair of military-grade inflatables, across the Mediterranean from Malta. Six helicopters were flown in from Botswana using falsified papers. The rest of the team — soldiers of fortune from South Africa, Britain, Australia and the United States — arrived from a staging area in Jordan.
To anyone who asked, the mercenaries who slipped into the war-pocked port of Benghazi, Libya, last summer said they had come to guard oil and gas facilities.
In fact, United Nations investigators later determined, their mission was to fight alongside the Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter in his all-out assault on the capital, Tripoli, for which they were to be paid $80 million.
It quickly went wrong. A dispute erupted with Mr. Hifter, a notoriously mercurial leader, over the quality of the aircraft. On July 2, after just four days in Libya, the mercenaries scrambled for their speedboats and roared out to sea, headed for the safety of Malta.
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More News On Russian Mercenaries Fleeing Western Libya
Hundreds more Russian mercenaries flee western Libya: GNA forces -- Al Jazeera
Libya's Haftar Seeks to Rouse Forces Against Turkey -- US News and World Report/Reuters
Russians evacuated from western Libya after Haftar retreats from Turkish forces -- Middle East Monitor
Tripoli campaign to continue despite losses: Libya's Haftar -- Ahram Online/AP
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