Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns arrived in Libya on Thursday on a surprise visit, where he is meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in the capital Tripoli, and other senior political and military leaders.
Why the meeting? According to Politico, the United States is interested in tracking Russia's Wagner Group, particularly its activities in Syria where US forces are stationed.
Privately owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner has 50,000 personnel stationed in foreign posts outside of Ukraine. It is operational in various countries including North African states -Libya included- and works closely with governments on military and political projects.
The visit also comes just weeks after Tripoli authorities handed over to the US a Libyan man who is suspected of involvement in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing.
Source: Al Monitor