In Benghazi, General John Brennan met with “Field Marshal” Haftar, who stressed “the key role of the United States in contributing to the stability of Libya”
A high-level delegation from Africom, the US military command in charge of Africa, has completed a visit to Libya, stopping in the cities of Tripoli and Benghazi, the hubs of power in the country divided into rival political-military administrations.
In the west, there is the Government of National Unity (GUN) led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba, recognized by the United Nations and supported mainly by Türkiye; in the east, the influence of the Libyan National Army (LNA) of the five-star general prevails Khalifa Haftar, a controversial figure with strong ties to Russia and a past in the United States as an opponent of Muammar Gaddafi. The mission, led by Africom’s deputy commander, three-star general John brennan, took place against a backdrop of growing rumours about the expansion of Russia’s military presence in Libya, a phenomenon observed with concern following the fall of the Syrian regime in Bashar al Assad.
In Tripoli, the general John brennan, accompanied by the chargé d’affaires of the US embassy, Jeremy Berndt, visited the Training Center of the 111th Border Guard Brigade. The visit included participation in a special forces military exercise, which showcased counter-terrorism techniques using real weapons, including rocket launchers.
During the visit, the delegation was briefed on the capabilities of the Center and the training programs implemented, aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the security forces in border control and combating security threats.
Interestingly, the 111th Brigade itself received training from Amentum Services Incorporated. This US company, founded in 2020, provides security services to both government and commercial clients and provides training in various military and security areas.
According to the latest report by UN experts, Amentum confirmed that it provided training to “potential Libyan security actors” outside of Libya, under two contracts with the US government: the Global Anti-Terrorism Assistance contract awarded by the US Department of State and the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program contract awarded by the US Department of Justice.
Amentum also stated that it “has no record of working in Libya or involving Libyan security actors” outside of these contracts. However, contrary to Amentum’s claims, the Panel identified that the company provided training to Libyan armed actors at Mitiga Air Base in early 2024.
In Tripoli, Brennan also held talks with Prime Minister Dabaiba, the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, General Mohamed al Haddad, and the Deputy Minister of Defense, Abdel Salam al-Zoubi. According to an official note released by the Tripoli government, the Libyan Prime Minister stressed “the importance of continuing the military partnership with the United States and of leveraging international experiences to improve the capabilities of the Libyan armed forces, ensuring security and stability”.
During the meeting, the US representative reiterated Washington’s support “for efforts to strengthen Libya’s security capabilities” and highlighted the “crucial role of military cooperation in the fight against terrorism and organized crime in the region”.
In Benghazi, Brennan met with “Field Marshal” Haftar, who stressed “the key role of the United States in contributing to the stability of Libya” and highlighted the progress in bilateral relations. According to the LNA press office, General Haftar praised “the joint efforts in the fight against terrorism and extremism” and reiterated the commitment to continue working with Washington.
During the meeting, Brennan expressed to Haftar his “appreciation for the efforts made by the LNA in consolidating security and stability, as well as in the fight against terrorism and extremism,” the Benghazi note reads. The Africom representative stressed that “the continuation of these efforts is essential to ensure the stability of the region,” the Libyan note continues.
General Brennan also met in Benghazi with Saddam Haftar, the Chief of Staff of the Libyan National Army Ground Forces, commanded by his father Khalifa. The meeting focused on ways “to strengthen U.S.-Libyan security cooperation, as well as support for Libyan-led efforts to reunify military and security institutions,” the U.S. Embassy in Libya said.
The U.S. delegation also toured LNA military facilities during the visit. “We thank Lieutenant General Haftar for the excellent welcome and tour of the facilities,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on X.
The meetings come as a Russian naval group departed from the Tartus base in Syria and is returning to Russia after many observers and experts had identified Libya as a possible destination. Vesselfinder tracking systems confirm that the Russian-flagged roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) cargo ships Sparta and Sparta II, which were detected by Maxar Technologies satellite imagery on January 25 in the Syrian port of Tartus, were in the Sardinia Channel, heading west as of Wednesday, February 5.
Satellite imagery had revealed loading and transhipment activity at the port of Tartus, suggesting the ships were transferring equipment and personnel. Before entering the Syrian port, the two cargo ships had been at sea for several days, which analysts say points to a coordinated evacuation operation.
Earlier, military sources had reported to “Nova Agency” that the Russian naval convoy, apparently sailing aimlessly in the central Mediterranean, was off the coast of Malta and could have headed to Libya or crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to return home. Now, the Sparta and Sparta II appear to have St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad as destinations, respectively, but it is not certain that they actually reached Russian ports. A significant aspect concerns the escort of the two transport ships by Russian military units: open source images published online at the end of January showed the two ships together with the General Skobolev, Alexandr Otrakovsky, Admiral Grigorovitch and Ivan Gren.
The latter, of course, are not visible on open-source tracking systems. The movement of the Ro-Ro Sparta IV, which is currently crossing the Strait of Sicily and is en route to Port Said, Egypt, remains to be monitored. In the past, Russian ships of the same type have indicated Egypt as their destination, only to then continue on to the Syrian port of Tartus. The involvement of other ships of the same class suggests a broader redeployment of Russian naval assets in the Mediterranean, in a context that is rapidly evolving following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
Moscow has already transferred military equipment via dozens of flights between Benghazi and the Russian base in Latakia, Syria. Last June, two Russian warships, the Udaloy-class frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov and the Slava-class missile cruiser Varyag, escorted by two submarines, made an official stop at the Tobruk naval base in Cyrenaica.
According to the latest report of the UN Panel of Experts, in the weeks preceding the arrival of the Shaposhnikov frigate and the Varyag cruiser, the port of Tobruk had already received other Gren- and Ropucha-class landing ships, which had unloaded military vehicles and heavy equipment. In particular, on April 14, 2024, military trucks with small trailers were observed unloading, a clear indicator of large-scale and structured logistics activity between Moscow and Cyrenaica.
In recent months, the Russian Federation has intensified operations at its four main air bases: Al Khadim base, in the east of the country; Al Jufra base, in the center; Al Brak al Shati base, southwest of Sebha, the capital of the Fezzan region; and Al Qurdabiya base, in Sirte, in the north-central area. These bases host a variety of military equipment, including air defenses, MiG-29 fighters and drones, and are operated by a mixed contingent of Russian military personnel and mercenaries from the Wagner group, far from the supervision of the Libyan authorities.
According to Libyan sources consulted by “Nova”, Moscow has further expanded its presence with a new military base: Maaten al Sarra, on the border with Chad and Sudan. High-resolution satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies in December clearly show the extension of the runway and the construction of buildings that appear to be housing, confirming Nova’s information that Russian military, together with groups of Syrian fighters, are actively working to bring the base back into operation. The same Libyan sources report that Haftar’s forces maintain control of the area stretching from Kufra to the borders with Chad and Sudan, including the area around the Maaten al Sarra base.
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