Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan
ANKARA, Feb 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkey will discuss withdrawing its forces from Libya if other foreign troops leave first, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
In December, Turkey’s parliament authorized an 18-month extension of its troop deployment in Libya.
Speaking at an event in Ankara, Erdogan said that Turkish armed forces personnel were deployed in Libya solely to train units loyal to the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), which is based in Tripoli.
Ankara said were training GNA units against the Libyan National Army (LNA), a rival administration backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar in the East.
However, foreign powers and international monitors have accused Turkey of intervening militarily in the North African country with the hope of expanding its influence in the region.
Turkey’s presence in Libya is linked to its broader interests in the eastern Mediterranean, where it is hunting for natural gas in disputed waters claimed by Cyprus in Greece.
The Syrian Observatory, a war monitor, also reported that Turkey recruited Syrian and Somali mercenaries to fight in Libya alongside the GNA.
Libya has plunged into chaos since the 2011 toppling of dictator Moammar Gaddafi.
On Saturday, an interim executive was selected to lead conflict-torn Libya until December elections following a decade of chaos. — NNN-AGENCIESP
