Wagner base in eastern Libya hit by ‘unknown’ drone strike

A base housing units of Russia’s paramilitary Wagner group in eastern Libya was the target of a drone strike overnight on Friday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a military official told AFP that the attack on Al-Kharruba air base, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Benghazi, left no casualties. He added that the origin of the strike was “unknown.”

Another source from the Libyan Ministry of Defense told the Arabic news site Arabi21 that the drone used in the attack was Turkey's state-of-the-art unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), Akinci, which the Tripoli-based government previously bought from Ankara.

The Tripoli-based government has denied its involvement in the strike.

Since the toppling of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya descended into civil war and was divided into two rival administrations — one based in Tripoli and another in the east of the country. Foreign powers flooded the country with weapons and mercenaries in support of rival forces. Turkey sent troops to support forces loyal to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli against the self-styled Libyan National Army led by eastern-based military strongman Khalifa Hifter, who in turn was backed by hundreds of Russian mercenaries deployed by the Wagner group.

The Wagner group is a private military company founded in 2014 by former Russian army officer Dmitri Utkin and businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of President Vladimir Putin. It has operated as the unofficial arm of the Russian Defense Ministry, sending mercenaries to fight alongside Russia’s allies in the Middle East and Africa, including in Syria and Libya.

The strikes in Libya coincide with apparent efforts by Russia to clip the wings of the Wagner group in the countries where it operates following the failed mutiny Prigozhin waged against Putin last weekend.

The Saudi-owned Al-Hadath news channel reported on Wednesday that Russian military police waged an arrest campaign against Wagner commanders and members across Syria shortly after the mutiny began.

The channel said the head of a Wagner Group unit in charge of recruitment in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda was detained. Three high-ranking commanders were also apprehended in the Russian Khmeimem air base in Latakia. The Russian police also raided three Wagner bases in Deir ez-Zor, Hama and Damascus.

However, Telegram channels associated with Wagner have denied the reports. “The information about the arrests is not true,” wrote the Orchestra Wagner channel.

Wagner began operating in Syria in September 2015 in conjunction with the direct Russian military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against rebels.