Turkey To Send Troops To Libya
Libyans wave the national flag as they gather to mark the eighth anniversary of the uprising in Libya's second city of Benghazi, on February 17, 2019. - Eight years after the revolt in Libya against Moamer Kadhafi's authoritarian regime, a modern and democratic state remains a distant dream in a country which has been sliding from crisis to crisis. (Photo by Abdullah DOMA / AFP) (Photo credit should read ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP/Getty Images)
Turkey To Send Troops To Libya
Turkey’s President, Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, said his country will send troops to Libya in response to a request made by Libya. Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli has been struggling to fend off General Khalifa Haftar’s forces, which have been supported by Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan.
Haftar’s fighters have failed to reach the center of Tripoli but have made small gains in recent weeks in some southern suburbs of the capital with the help of Russian and Sudanese fighters, as well as drones shipped by the UAE, diplomats say. The Chinese-made drones have given Haftar “local air superiority” as they can carry over eight times the weight of explosives than the drones given to the GNA by Turkey and can also cover the whole of Libya, a United Nations report said in November.
Last month, Turkey signed two separate accords with the GNA, led by Fayez al-Serraj, one on security and military cooperation and another on maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean.
The maritime deal ends Turkey’s isolation in the East Mediterranean as it ramps up offshore energy exploration that has alarmed Greece and some other neighbors. The military deal would preserve its lone ally in the region, Tripoli.
REUTER