The Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has threatened the Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader that they would be viewed as a “legitimate target” if they attacked Turkish troops stationed in western Libya.
During a visit to the Turkish forces in Tripoli, Akar said that Haftar’s forces and his supporters “will have no place to flee to” if they attack the Turkish forces, adding that Turkey will target them “everywhere,” the Turkish Defence Ministry reported in a statement on Sunday.
On Friday, the Turkish Defence Minister, accompanied by Turkey’s Chief of General Staff Yasar Guler, and other military commanders made a surprise trip to Tripoli. This is two days after the Commander-in-Chief of the LNA, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, urged his fighters to drive out Turkish forces from the oil-rich country.
The director of the LNA’s Moral Guidance Department, Khaled Al-Mahjoub, had warned that the LNA would defend Libya against any aggressor and against those trying to interfere in the country’s affairs.