By Mohammad Ayesh

Mercenaries affiliated to a security company operating in Iraq and the UAE travelled secretly from Iraq to Libya to fight alongside the troops of General Khalifa Haftar, according to electronic newspaper Arabi21. 

Weeks ago, Haftar launched a military campaign against the internationally recognised government in the city of Tripoli.

Sources told Arabi21 that the Frontier Services Group security company run by Erik Prince, who previously ran the Blackwater security company, had recently sent fighters from Iraq’s Kurdish region to Libya to fight alongside Haftar, following a secret deal.

The news site said a subsidiary of the company is based in Dubai but it is still unknown whether the UAE was involved in the operation.

Haftar is known for receiving military and political support from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. A report issued by the UN has shown that Abu Dhabi bought various weapons from many countries and international companies. Those weapons were then used by a militia fighting for Haftar in Libya.

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Mohammad Ayesh is an Arab journalist currently based in London

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Arabic press review is a digest of reports that are not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.

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