Turkey is believed to be pushing the Government of National Accord (GNA) to push beyond Sirte and the coastal oil terminals. It is thought to also be planning to control the southern Fezzan region of the country.
Turkey has stepped up its preparations to carry out a large-scale “encirclement operation” that will bring additional momentum to Turkish efforts in Libya. This will affect not only the balance of power between the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army (LNA), but also the interests of France and Russia.
Libyan military sources have said that these preparations are now at an advanced stage and fall within the framework of “qualitative military action”. This is driven by an aggressive desire to bring the overall situation in Libya to a critical phase, enabling Ankara to put pressure on Paris.
The sources described the intended Turkish plan as “unbridled Turkish foolishness”. They claimed that it was part of the agenda of the high-ranking Turkish ministerial delegation’s visit to Tripoli on Wednesday.
The plan’s first objective is believed to take the city of Sirte and then move on to the oil crescent. The military sources have said that the Turks want to take control of the Tamenhant airbase in south-western Libya in order to make it a crucial hub for further operations in the region.
Control of the base would pave the way for taking control of Libya’s major oil fields, especially the Sharara and El-Feel oil fields. Russian energy giant Gazprom holds a one-third stake in the field, one of Libya’s largest.
The past three days have witnessed increased ground movements related to this proposed plan, including the entry into southern Libya of more than thirty military vehicles via the desert road linking Zintan to the Nafusa Mountains and the Barqan Al-Shati area.
These were accompanied by mass movements of GNA forces in the direction of Sirte in a bid to take the city and its Al-Qaradabiya Airbase. The LNA reacted on Wednesday by declaring the whole area extending from Wadi Jaref to Al-Washka a military operations zone, according to head of the LNA’s main operations room, Lieutenant General Saqr Al-Jarushi.