After Haftar’s threats, a Turkish military delegation headed by the Minister of Defense arrives at Libya

Defense Minister Khulusi Akar arrived at the head of a military delegation to Libya today, following the threats of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar to the Turkish forces in Libya, and his threat to ignite a new war.

The Turkish military delegation, which also includes the Chief of Staff, will meet the President of the Supreme Council of State in Libya Khaled Al-Mishri, Minister of Defense Salah El-Din Al-Nimroush, and Minister of Interior Fathi Bashagha, and the delegation will also visit the headquarters of the Turkish forces operating in Libya.

The visit, which was not announced in advance, came after retired Major General Khalifa Haftar called on his fighters to remove the Turkish forces supporting the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, at a time when talks are continuing to end the long-running war in the oil-rich country.

Turkish support for the Government of National Accord helped repel an attack on Tripoli by Haftar’s forces backed by Russia, Egypt and the UAE in April 2019.

A few days ago, the Turkish parliament approved a proposal to extend the stay of Turkish soldiers in Libya for a period of 18 months.

The Al-Wefaq government and Haftar struck a ceasefire agreement in November that puts an official end to the fighting and paves the way for elections at the end of next year