Italian authorities have seized Chinese military drone Wing Loong being sent to Libya in the name of wind turbines. These drones were divided into different parts and kept in boxes, which had a mark of being wind turbine parts. It is believed that China did this trick to avoid the United Nations arms ban imposed on Libya. China was trying to deliver its Wing Loong military drones to Libya’s powerful General Khalifa Haftar. It is believed that China was trying to establish itself in Libya in exchange for this drone deal.
Chinese drones came out from a container labelled Wind Turbine
According to the Times of London report, Italian authorities seized three containers full of weapons including drones and two drone control stations at the Gioia Tauro port in southern Italy on June 18. According to unnamed sources, the containers in question were seized after being unloaded from the cargo vessel MSC Arena, which had arrived in the Mediterranean from China. It appears that the plan was to load those containers onto another vessel that was then to travel to Benghazi in Libya. Meanwhile, last weekend, Italian investigators seized three other suspicious containers that arrived at the same port on another cargo ship, the MSC Apolline.
China had made a lot of efforts to hide
The photos and videos that have surfaced show that China had made a great effort to hide the military drone. Reports from Italy suggest that the drone parts were placed inside the same type of protective covers that are used to carry wind turbine blades. Intelligence about the presence of weapons was reportedly provided to Italian authorities by the US. Other sources in Italy suggest that the containers were discovered as part of a standard investigation that found discrepancies in the customs documents that accompanied them.
Italy remains silent on seizure
Clearly, this was a very deliberate attempt to disguise this military equipment as civilian cargo, apparently involving forged documents. It is unclear what further action Italian prosecutors will take. It is also unclear what role the Chinese government played in the smuggling operation. They may possibly have been sourced secondhand from elsewhere. The apparent recipient of the drone and the unidentified weapons that were part of the same shipment was General Haftar. He leads the Libyan National Army.
China was sending drones to Libyan general
The apparent recipient of this drone was Libyan General Haftar. Haftar leads the Libyan National Army (LNA), which is in charge of the eastern part of the country. Haftar has held power here since attempting to take over the rest of the country in 2020. This was preceded by fierce fighting with the Forces of National Unity (GNA) during the civil war that has been going on since the fall of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The UN-backed GNA is today based in Tripoli and led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Libya is now effectively divided into eastern and western parts, both with their own governments and armed forces.
