Erdogan Gets Closer to Deploying Turkish Troops in Libya
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that he’s getting ready to deploy Turkish troops in Libya to support the country’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli.
Erdogan flew to Tunisia on Wednesday in a surprise visit that’s likely to include meetings with members of the government of neighbouring Libya.
The Turkish president said his recent dealings with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord should be seen as “harbinger of steps that we may take.”
Turkey has already held talks with Libyans about a possible troop deployment to support the GNA in its fight against Khalifa Haftar, a rebel commander who has no political legitimacy, Erdogan said.
“If there is an invitation, we would of course evaluate it,” Erdogan said in a televised press conference jointly held with Tunisia’s new president, Kais Saied. Erdogan said mercenaries fighting in Libya include 5,000 men from Sudan and another 2,000 from Wagner, a group headed by a confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Erdogan’s comments mark his increasing support for the government in Tripoli in the face of an offensive by Haftar to capture the Libyan capital.
Turkey’s governing AK Party has begun working on a motion to allow deployment of troops in Libya should Sarraj’s government ask for reinforcement and is expected to present it to parliament in early January, according to state-run TRT television.
