Libyan National Army accuses Turkey of supporting terrorism

The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, accused Turkey of supporting terrorism in Libya.

LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said Sunday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly makes statements against the army, adding that Ankara is actively supporting the militias, chaos and terrorist groups in Libya.

Moreover, he stated that the militias of Government of National Accord chief Fayez al-Sarraj have now resorted to using drones to attack LNA forces after they lost several of their jets.

“We realize fully that cleansing Tripoli of militias means that Turkey will lose a golden base that is compensating it for its losses in the international arena,” he told a press conference in the eastern city of Benghazi.

He also accused Turkey of supporting the militias in Misrata city, east of the capital Tripoli.

Mismari said that the Libyan Airlines planes were delivering weapons from Turkey to Misrata.

On the ground, he revealed that the LNA had reached the outskirts of Tripoli and the militias were starting to collapse after their commanders were targeted in the capital.

Addressing the threat of ISIS, he explained that the terrorist group’s movement in the southwest was aimed at distracting the LNA from its Tripoli operations.

The ISIS movement coincided with an escalation in Tripoli and the collapse of terrorist militia defenses, Mismari noted.

Source: Aawsat