On Saturday, two Turkish military cargo aircrafts were monitored coming from Ankara and heading to the western Libyan city of Misrata, according to Flightradar24. Flightradar24 is a website specialised in tracking air traffic and military flights.
In a statement, the website said that it had tracked a Turkish flight, made by a Lockheed C-130E military cargo aircraft, has landed in Al-Watiya airbase from Ankara at 08:33 CET.
It added that the second one, made by an Airbus A400M military cargo plane, has landed in Misrata at 08:20 CET.
The website pointed out that, with these actions, Ankara ignores international peace-keeping efforts in Libya, as well as commits violations of the arms embargo imposed on the country mired in chaos.
Turkey has consistently supplied arms, ammunitions, and mercenaries to Libya’s militia, in contravention of international resolutions prohibiting the flow of arms into the country.
Turkey is clearly seeking to achieve its strategic interests in Libya. The country is seeking to back its allies on the ground and gain a footing on the Mediterranean’s southern coast to strengthen its position in the gas reserves dispute. As a result, Ankara rejects a full ceasefire and the equitable distribution of power and resources in Libya.
Libya was once one of the most prosperous nations in Africa. It is now fractured since the 2011 NATO bombing campaign that helped militant forces oust and kill long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.