As many as 2,500 Russian mercenaries from the shadowy "Wagner Group" have faced off against 3,500 Syrian civil war veterans recruited by Turkey in the proxy battle for control in Libya, according to the Pentagon's Inspector General.
U.S. Africa Command, which is focused on rooting out Islamic State and al Qaida-linked groups in the region, is essentially on the sidelines in Libya while closely monitoring activities in the civil war, the IG's quarterly report on counter-terror operations in Africa states.