Libya captures Russian-made missile system 'given to Haftar forces by UAE'

GNA loyalists have captured a missile defence system thought to have been given to Haftar's LNA by the United Arab Emirates.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

19 May, 2020

The captured Pantsir-S1 remained largely intact [Getty]

Turkish-backed Libyan government forces have captured a Russian-made missile defence system, following a recent victory over the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) at the al-Watiyah airbase.

The Pantsir-S1 air defence system is believed to have been supplied by the United Arab Emirates - a key backer of rogue general and LNA leader Khalifa Haftar.

The defence system was captured on Saturday after a Turkish drone reportedly struck an LNA missile vehicle as it drove the missile system into an aircraft shelter. The shelter was also then hit by a missile.

It is thought that the targeted vehicle was a technical armed jeep accompanying the Pantsir, which remained intact.

Images posted to social media indicate that the missile system was damaged but largely undamaged. Government loyalists have paraded the Pantsir as a war trophy, though its currents wherabouts is unknown.

The Pantsir-S1 is known to have been widely deployed in Syria by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, making it a frequent target of both Turkish and Israeli strikes.

Read more: Libya government forces capture key base from rival Haftar

According to a report by Forbes, the Pantsire models that have appeared in Libya are the same as those supplied to the UAE, which are mounted on a German built Man-SX 45 eight-wheeled truck. This vehicle is unique to the UAE supplied systems.

A UN Security Council report from last year also assessed that such equipment had been given to the LNA by the UAE.