According to the Italian news agency Nova, citing a Libyan source, on December 12 at dawn a drone targeted a Russian military plane parked on the tarmac of al-Joufra, a military base located in southeastern Libya and under control of Khalifa Haftar, at the head of the Libyan national army. The base has been occupied by the Wagners for years. According to the Nova agency, the Russian device is used by the Wagner group in Libya. Satellite images confirm the existence of this strike attributed to the Americans.
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Activists shared photos and videos of a plane burning at a military airport in a desert area, indicating it was the Russian plane. Satellite images and those from NASA analyzed by specialists reveal an Ilyushin II-76 burning.
Comparisons of photos from before and after the strike show a plane-shaped black spot covering the tarmac that did not exist before December 12.
According to the Nova agency, the plane would transport electronic jamming devices intended for the new Russian military corps in Africa. A corps intended to replace Wagner and which should be based in Libya. These materials, specifies the agency, were intended for the Libya and Sudan.
The Italian press agency, citing other Libyan sources, also indicates that another strike took place on December 7 targeting al-Joufra but also a less important base in Zalla, located some 200 km away.
According to our information, last June, another plane of the same type was targeted by a drone on the al-Khadem base in northeastern Libya.
Washington accuses Russia of using Libya as a platform to organize its activities in the Sahel. Africom, just like Khalifa Haftarremains silent on this affair which takes place in the midst of a war for influence in Africa between Russia and NATO.