Turkey will target Khalifa Haftar’s forces if attacks on its interests in Libya – ministry

By wazup on May 10, 2020 Comments Closed / 93 views

Turkey will target Khalifa Haftar’s forces if attacks on its interests in Libya – ministry

This image grab taken from a video published by the War Information Division of military strongman Khalifa Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) on April 28, 2020 shows Haftar giving a speech, saying he had “a popular mandate” to govern the country, declaring a key 2015 political deal over and vowing to press his assault to seize Tripoli. – In a speech on his Libya al-Hadath TV channel, Haftar said his self-styled Libyan “army” was “proud to be mandated with the historic task” of leading Libya. He did not make clear whether an elected parliament in the country’s east, a signatory to the deal, backed his move — or what its future role would be. Haftar has so far drawn his legitimacy from the administration based in the country’s east, and last April his forces launched an assault to seize the capital Tripoli, in the west, from the Government of National Accord. (Photo by – / LNA War Information Division / AFP) /

Turkey’s foreign ministry warned on Sunday that it would deem the forces of Libyan General Khalifa Haftar legitimate targets if their attacks on its interests and diplomatic missions in Libya continued.

Turkey backs Libya’s internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and views Haftar’s forces as “putschists”. In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that “if our missions and our interests in Libya are targeted, we will deem Haftar’s forces legitimate targets.”

It also said the attacks on Tripoli’s Mitiga airport early on Saturday, part of an intensified barrage of artillery fire on the capital, were war crimes. On Thursday, Turkey and Italy said the area around their embassies in Tripoli was shelled.

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