The Turkish military is in Libya

By:
BLACKSEA-CASPIA

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Ankara was ready to render any assistance to the Government of Libya's National Accord, including sending its troops there. Turkey does not consider Libyan National Army commander - Khalifa Haftar, being a legitimate leader.

Photo: Minval.az

Turkey has deployed special-purpose military units, military advisers and military equipment to assist the Government of National Accord in Libya, “Trend.az” reports, referring to RIA - Novosti.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Ankara was ready to render any assistance to the Government of Libya's National Accord, including sending its troops there. Turkey does not consider Libyan National Army commander - Khalifa Haftar, being a legitimate leader.

According to various sources, “the Government of the National Accord has requested Turkey's military equipment and the latter has sent it”.

“Turkey has sent military advisers to Tripoli to assess the situation”, the television channel reported.

President Erdogan has already declared the possibility of sending Turkish troops to Libya if its authorities turn to Turkey with such a request. Libyan Navy Commander - Admiral Faraj al-Mahdawi told the Greek television channel “Skai” that Khalifa Haftar has ordered the Navy to sinking the Turkish ships.

Following the overthrow and assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has virtually ceased to function as a unitary state. There is a dual power in the country.

To the east, the last elected parliamentary assembly is sitting, and to the west in the capital Tripoli, governs the authority, formed with the support of the United Nations and the European Union – the Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj. The authorities in the eastern part of the country are acting independently from Tripoli and are cooperating with the Libyan National Army, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who hasn’t stopped trying to take Tripoli since April 2019.

At the end of November, President Erdogan and Fayez al-Sarraj signed a memorandum of for military cooperation and for maritime understanding. Greece, Egypt and the House of Representatives in eastern Libya (the Parliament), called the Turkish - Libyan memorandum “illegal and invalid”.

The Libyan ambassador to Greece was announced by Athens as a persona non grata on Friday (December 13, 2019). He was given three days to leave the country.

Source: Trend.az - https://www.trend.az/world/other/3164694.html 

RIA - Novostu - https://ria.ru/20191216/1562462781.html