Turkish Navy to Guard Tripoli as Syrian Rebels May Join War
Turkey is preparing to deploy troops and naval forces to support the internationally recognized Libyan government, joining a planned push by Ankara-backed Syrian rebels to defeat strongman Khalifa Haftar.
In a deepening proxy war, Turkey aims to send its navy to protect Tripoli, while its troops train and coordinate the forces of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, according to a senior Turkish official. Turkey recently signed a maritime deal with oil-rich Libya that serves the energy interests of both countries and aims to salvage billions of dollars of business contracts thrown into limbo by the conflict.
Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said as many as 500 Turkmen Syrian fighters have already been recruited in Turkey ahead of deployment to Libya. “They are recruiting the fighters from different factions” of Syria’s opposition groups, Abdul Rahman said.
With Egypt and the United Arab Emirates aiding Haftar, Turkey’s deeper involvement in Tripoli could complicate international efforts to end the turmoil that has gripped the country since the overthrow of strongman Moammar Qaddafi in 2011.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-27/turkey-backed-syrian-rebels-to-join-libya-war-against-haftar?srnd=politics-vp
