Libyan rivals ink initial deal on pullout of mercenaries

The U.N. says forces from Libya's rival sides have reached an initial agreement on the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries from the North African nation

ABOARD GEO BARENTS -- Libya’s rival sides reached an initial agreement Friday on the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries from the North African nation, the United Nations said, a key step toward unifying the warring sides in violence-wracked country.

The issue of the mercenaries and foreign fighters has long been an obstacle ahead of Libya's landmark general elections due in December.

Libya has been engulfed in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich country was later for years split between rival governments in the capital, Tripoli, and the eastern part of the country. Each side is backed by different foreign powers and militia groups.

The U.N. mission mediating between the rivals said a 10-member joint military commission, with five representatives from each side, inked a “gradual and balanced” withdrawal deal Friday, at the end of three-day, U.N.-facilitated talks in Geneva.