On Saturday, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said that the US had no evidence to prove that Russian warplanes in Libya were piloted by Russians.
In a statement, the AFRICOM spokesperson said that there is concern that the warplanes are piloted by inexperienced mercenaries.
She also commented on Russian moves in Libya saying, “We believe that Russian intervention in Libya only leads to a delay in reaching political solution.”
A few days ago, AFRICOM announced that it had collected new evidence of Russian aircraft activity in Libyan airspace and confirmed the use of Russian aircraft to support private military companies.
A spokesperson for the US Department of State said that “the US opposes any foreign military escalation in Libya. It is of utmost importance that there is an immediate ceasefire”.
The latter statement also applies to the attack that the GNA and Turkey are preparing.
The GNA was informed of this position in a meeting with the US Ambassador to Libya and the Commander of AFRICOM on 22 June.
Forces aligned with the GNA have been deploying for weeks toward Sirte and al-Jufra.
This comes after the GNA’s forces were able to take over the entire western area with Turkey’s support, forcing the LNA to withdraw.
This withdrawal allowed the GNA forces to focus on two fronts: Sirte and al-Jufra. A first attempt to capture the latter and the former failed.