Reports of Turkey deploying Syrian fighters in Libya
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Reports are emerging that Turkey started deploying Syrian rebels to support its allies in Tripoli. According to The National, videos posted on social media showed Syrian fighters claiming to have already arrived in Libya.
Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, was quoted as saying that as many as 500 Turkmen Syrian fighters have already been recruited in Turkey ahead of deployment to Libya.
This comes at a time when Turkey is preparing to deploy troops into Libya to support its ally the leader of Libya’s Government of National Accord, Fayez Al Sarraj. Turkey’s parliament will vote on the issue on January 8 or 9.
If passed, Turkey could send naval forces and troops to the African nation, which has been in turmoil since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Ghaddafi.
Video of SNA fighters from Mutasem group claiming they have captured a camp from Haftar forces in Libya pic.twitter.com/vSILv1x8mL
A Turkish official and a senior GNA official said rebel groups that fought alongside Turkish forces in northern Syria are expected to deploy to support the Tripoli government imminently, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
Reports emerged of the Mutasem grouping, from the Free Syrian Army, had already arrived in Libya and started fighting on the ground.
