Turkish troops deploy to Libya to prop up embattled government
Turkish troops have begun deploying to Libya in a bid to prop up the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has announced. The move followed a vote in the Turkish parliament backing deployment and further deadly attacks in Tripoli by an airforce under the control of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the warlord who has been trying to oust the government since April. Erdogan told that Turkish forces were already on their way to Libya. “Our soldiers’ duty there is coordination. They will develop the operation center there. Our soldiers are gradually going right now,” he said. The Turkish deployment, likely to take many weeks, risks a military confrontation between Turkey and other regional actors supporting Haftar, notably the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Russian mercenaries, believed to have the backing of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, are also operating in Libya in support of Haftar. Putin has urged Erdoğan not to send troops. ...