The French military on Wednesday said the Javelin missiles that were found in a rebel base in Libya were purchased by the French government from the United States but were never intended to be passed to any party to the Libya conflict and were due to be destroyed, reported Reuters.
The Army Ministry released an official statement saying that the missiles were intended for the “self-protection of a French military unit deployed to carry out counter-terrorism operations”.
The statement clarified that the missiles were not transferred to local forces in Libya.
“Damaged and unusable, the armaments were being temporarily stocked at a depot ahead of their destruction,” the ministry said.
The New York Times reported earlier that the Libyan government forces recovered four Javelin anti-tank missiles during a raid on a rebel camp in the town of Gheryan, in the mountains south of Tripoli, last month. The missiles were found in a camp used by forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.
Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive in early April to seize Tripoli from forces loyal to the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Airstrikes and ground fighting have left more than 1,000 people dead and some 5,000 wounded, the U.N.’s World Health Organization said last week. Over 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Libya since the armed conflict began.
France has previously been accused of supporting Gen Haftar but the government has always denied supplying any arms, in line with the UN embargo which has been in place since 2011.
Last week, an air strike on the Tajoura refugee camp and detention center in the east of Tripoli killed more than 60 people and injured 130 others. Six children were among the migrants killed. Haftar’s LNA has denied it was responsible for the attack.
