People raise a picture of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar. Haftar, who has been accused by critics of wanting to establish a military dictatorship in Libya, was backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Russia and France, while Turkey provided military aid to the internationally-backed Tripoli administration. FILE PHOTO | COURTESY
Forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar said Thursday 300 foreign mercenaries fighting on their side would leave the country, at the request of France, which will host a conference on Libya.
The announcement, which gave no timeline for their exit, comes on the eve of an international conference in Paris aimed at ensuring Libya sticks to plans to hold elections in December, in a bid to restore stability in the North African country.
