The report of the United Nations experts at the Security Council revealed the involvement of 3 Emirati companies in violating the arms embargo resolution imposed on Libya during the period of aggression on Tripoli, adding that they are well-funded private military companies called “Project Opus”, designed to provide military equipment to the leader of the aggressor militias, Khalifa Haftar, and With kidnappings, and the killing of individuals who are considered high-value targets in Libya.
The experts’ report added that the companies are “Lancaster 6 DMCC and L-6” and “FZE” and “Opus Capital Asset Limited”, confirming that they recognized the “Opus Project” in June 2019.
The report pointed out that the plan of these private military companies is to provide Haftar’s militias with “attack aircraft with rotating wings, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, maritime interception, electronic capabilities, drones, intelligence integration and targeting capability.”
The team of experts said: “The plan also included the purchase of three medium-sized helicopters for services from a South African company, and three light service helicopters from an Emirati company.” “An Antonov An-26B was also purchased in a tight timeframe from a Bermudian company, a LASA T-Bird light attack aircraft from a Bulgarian company, and a Pilatus PC-6 ISR from an Austrian company.”
The committee said that private military activists from the “Opus” project were deployed in Libya for the second time in April and May 2020; “In order to locate and destroy high-value targets, but this time they were planning to use military equipment provided by the United Arab Emirates.”
They added that the operation was aborted; Because any attack by helicopter would be “extremely vulnerable to interception” by the Libyan government’s air defense capabilities.
